By Ankeli Emmanuel (In Sokoto State)
The leadership of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Sokoto chapter, has promised to partner Civil Society Observatorys (CSOs) Forum on the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in the State.
Giving this assurance when the Forum paid an advocacy visit to the NBA, their chairman, Barrister Muhammed Nuhu, also promised to ensure that his members visits correctional centers in the state on a quarterly basis.
This, according to him, will help decongest the places and reduce the cases of awaiting trials by no small means.
Speaking further, the NBA said they also have a committee in that direction headed by the Chief Judge of Sokoto, hence the assurance that the monthly or quarterly visit to all the prisons and detention centers will ensure that people are not unjustly detained or kept in custody.
While noting that some issues are so minor that it should ordinarily be resolved at home or out of Court, Barrister Nuhu appealed that issues of debt, or mere quarrels should go for alternative dispute resolution rather than result to detention of persons.
''Sending people with minor issue of offences to detention centers helps nobody. This is because they will mix and interact with hardened criminals and come out to become more hardened than they were sent there for correction.
In his clarification about the misconception most people often have about lawyers defending criminals, the State NBA chairman said, they are doing what is prescribed by the law and the ethics of the profession.
This, according to him, is because, "an accused person is deemed innocent until proven otherwise. Let us not also forget that these lawyers are out to present what was given to them and not to deceive the judges.
"The judges have their own discretion to rational application of sense, moral and law to be able to bring out facts or tissues of lies in the whole case".
The State NBA chairman equally rated management of the Nigeria Correctional Service high as one of the most uncompromising agency in Nigeria.
He also advised that increasing the personnel of the police officers, and improving knowledge of prosecuting councils as well as setting up of more courts and judges will help in the actualization of the Administration of Criminal Justice (ACJL) which seeks to enhance speedy and timely dispensation of justice.
Speaking earlier, the Sokoto State Coordinator of the ACJA Observatory Forum, Dr Auwal Ahmed Musa, said the advocacy became imperative hence the NBA are critical stakeholders in the implementation of the ACJL.
The Observatory Forum comprises of 20 members from diverse CSOs in Sokoto and was initiated by the CLEEN Foundation with the support from MacArthur Foundation. NNL.
