Tinubu sends new bill to Senate for criminal justice reforms

President Bola Tinubu has sent a bill to the Senate to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. The new bill aims to re-enact it as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026.

This proposed law will provide a legal framework for how criminal justice is handled in courts within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts in Nigeria.

The bill also plans to set up the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council. This council will help improve how criminal justice is managed in Nigeria.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio shared this news in a letter from the president, which he read during plenary on Thursday.

“The general objective of the bill is to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, and to enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026 to provide for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory and other federal courts in Nigeria and establish the Establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria,” the letter stated.

In the letter, Mr Tinubu explained that the goal is to ensure Nigeria’s criminal justice system works well. It should allow for the quick handling of cases and the protection of everyone's rights.

“The specific objective of the bill, as indicated in Section 1, is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of the suspects, the defendants, and the victims, and also the courts, the law enforcement agencies, and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the Act,” he added.

The president further noted that the bill aims to solve legal, procedural, and institutional problems that have made it hard to manage criminal justice effectively in Nigeria.

“The reasons for the repeal of the Extant Act and the re-enactment of the Proposed Act of 2026 is to address certain legal, procedural, and institutional challenges that have been identified as hampering the effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.

“Under the Extent Act of 2015, the challenges include delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, inefficient coordination among criminal justice institutions, ineffective case management mechanisms, and limitations in the monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the Act.

“The bill, as reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative drafting, have extensively addressed the above challenges,” he stated.

After reading the letter, Mr Akpabio sent the bill to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further action. He asked them to report back in four weeks.

Nigeria’s criminal justice system has faced criticism for delays in investigations, long pre-trial detention, overcrowded correctional centres, and slow prosecution of cases.

Before the ACJA was passed in 2015, different laws governed criminal procedures in Nigeria. The Criminal Procedure Act applied in the south, while the Criminal Procedure Code was used in the north. This caused inconsistencies in how justice was administered.

The ACJA 2015 was put in place by former President Muhammadu Buhari to unify criminal procedure across federal courts. It aimed to speed up trials and protect the rights of suspects, defendants, and victims.

Some key parts of the ACJA include limits on unnecessary adjournments, mandatory recording of confessions, monthly inspections of detention facilities by chief magistrates, and rules to reduce long detention without trial.