The Director-General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mr. Aliyu Abubakar, has said that the nation’s criminal justice administration is pathetic due to disposition of the security agents.
Abubakar, who made the remarks on Wednesday, when he paid a courtesy visit to the Oyo State #EndSARS Panel of Enquiry, said that the nation’s Correctional Centres are flooded with awaiting trial persons due to poor recording processes by the security agencies.
He emphasized the need for nation’s criminal justice system must have a radical change from what is happening currently.
He explained there must be a radical shift from the way and manner arrests and investigation “are conducted in the country; if we are to have a serious departure from what we have – because what we have is not palatable.”
The Director-General noted that the Nigeria Police are the principal actors as far as the issue is concerned, saying that “though other detailing authorities are also guilty of the issues raised. But the Police have the highest number because they deal with society on a daily basis.
He said:”It is so bad despite what the legal aid council, NBA are doing to decongest the prisons. Despite the Presidential Committee, that is on ground; going round the country trying to decongest the prisons; the success that can be achieved is minimal.This is so, because as we are releasing 10 people from prisons the Police are dumping 30 or 40 other people, in such a way and manner, we cannot make progress,” he added.
He implored policy makers to make it a duty and recommend to government on the need to reorientate the Nigeria Police, stressing that a radical change in the orientation of the police must be carried out, “unless all our efforts to decongest the prisons would be in vain.
The DG further urged the Oyo State EndSARS Panel to get justice in the interim or immediately for people that have been denied justice, or people that have suffered from the brutality of detention authorities.
He also called on the Panel to focus more in recommending orientation for the police .
