By Chidinma Ewunonu-Aluko
Oyo State Chief Judge, Justice Munta Abimbola, says correctional centres in the state will no longer be congested with the establishment of Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC).
Abimbola gave the assurance on Monday in Ibadan during a workshop organised on the effective implementation of Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop organised by ACJMC was supported by MacArthur Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Abimbola said that effective implementation of ACJL and the establishment of the committee in the state would reduce congestion of correctional centres.
He added that the developments would ensure that juvenile offenders would not be kept unnecessarily longer at the centres.
According to him, the implementation will also ensure compliance with the provisions of the constitution.
The chief judge said that there was need to carry the public along in the implementation.
He thanked MacArthur Foundation and the Federal Ministry of Justice for support, especially by providing sufficient equipment for the ACJMC secretariat in Oyo State.
“When you have functional secretariat, the performance of the committee will surely improve.
“There will be better dissemination of information to all stakeholders involved in the committee,’’ he said.
Earlier, the Secretary of ACJMC at the federal level, Mr Suleiman Daudu, said the project filled a vacuum.
Daudu said that some governments relegated the development of criminal justice system to the background.
He said the neglect led to perennial congestion of detention and correctional facilities and the courts.
Daudu said the activities to be carried out included technical and logistic support for ACJMC across the country.
He remarked that the responsibility for upholding the objectives of the ACJMC rested on all criminal justice stakeholders.
“It is on this note that the importance of strategising through synergy, sharing of information, knowledge and skills cannot be over-emphasised.
“Oyo is the 13th state we are implementing the project, we still have about 25 more states to deliver.
“We congratulate Oyo for the remarkable success it has made in the passage ACJMC and its implementation.
“Our theme shall endevour to guide them to create a road map toward the discharge of their duty, effectively; we will provide the secretariat daily ground-rule for its management,’’ he said.
CSP Olufunke Fawole, the representative of the Oyo State Police Command, said the ACJMC gave the police a wider knowledge of how to conduct proper investigation.
“The law enlightened the police to be more effective, especially on how to carry out arrests.
“It made us to know the importance of having intelligent policing and to be very sure of the offence being alleged before we do any arrest,’’ she said.
The highpoint of the event was inauguration of the Oyo State ACJMC Secretariat by Abimbola.
Oyo State ACJMC was inaugurated on Jan. 28. The committee is led by Justice Ladiran Akintola. (NAN)
