The Solicitor General of the Federation
and Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Dayo Apata,
has said the Federal Government is in the process of amending the Police
Act which has been in existence since 1948......
According to Apata, the proposed amendment aims to bring the Police Act in consonance with current realities.
Apata made this disclosure on Wednesday in Lagos at the Conference of Network of Justice Reform Team.
The conference, which held at Sheraton
Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, was organised by the Federal Justice Sector Reform
Co-ordinating Committee in partnership with the Lagos State Government,
the British Council and the European Union through the Rule of Law and
Anti-Corruption Programme.
Governor Akinwunmi Ambode was
represented on the occasion by the Lagos State Attorney General and
Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem.
While speaking at the conference, Apata
said aside for the proposed amendment to the Police Act, the Federal
Government was also in the process of implementing reforms designed to
decongest prisons in the country.
“Aside the judicial reforms, presently, the Federal Ministry of Justice is also engaging in police reform.
“As of today, we are trying to work on the Police Act which we have been using since 1948 or thereabouts.
“Presently also, the ministry is working on the prison reform.
“The Honourbale Attorney General of the
Federation has just constituted a working group that is looking at the
prison reform in Nigeria headed by the Chief Judge of the High Court of
the Federal Capital Territory, who is equally passionate about the issue
of prison decongestion.
“At the moment, the Federal Ministry of
Justice is pioneering the trial of Boko Haram suspects who have been
there for the last four to five years and we have already commenced
their profiling,” Apata said.
Speaking through Kazeem, Ambode said his
administration had laid a solid foundation for criminal investigation
and raised the bar in the prosecution of crimes with its recently
inaugurated DNA Forensic Centre.
The government said with the DNA
forensic centre there was no longer a question of any criminal escaping
justice on account of poor investigation.
“Our success as a government lies more
in our continuous collaboration with stakeholders in the administration
of justice to achieve our goals and realities of an efficient justice
delivery system.
“It is in fulfillment of these promises
that the first DNA Forensic Centre was opened to embrace a more
scientific-led investigation technique and raising the bar of ‘proof
beyond reasonable doubt’ in prosecuting criminal cases.
“Our administration, to a large extent,
has addressed the issues of delayed justice through the establishment of
the Office of Public Defender, Citizens Mediation Centre and the
innovative multi-door arbitration system of justice where numerous
persons, regardless of gender, status, ethnic or religious grouping, are
beneficiaries.
“We have continued to enhance the
judicial process in the state in terms of improved welfare for judiciary
and put in place state-of-the-art- infrastructures,” Ambode said.
The conference was attended by attorneys general of various states, lawmakers and many others.
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