The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, has cautioned judges and magistrates to be cautious in handling plea bargain agreement brought before them by parties in cases before their courts.
He also advised judicial officers to accord human face to criminal justice proceedings by considering other alternatives to custodial sentences in view of the inadequacies of the nation’s prison system.
Justice Mohammed spoke in Kaduna on Monday while addressing a group of judges and magistrates, attending a sensitization workshop on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), for judges and magistrates of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), organized by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), with funding by the European Union (EU).
The CJN, who was represented by Justice Ibrahim Tanko, noted that the ACJ Act is the culmination of the long held desire to improve the administration of criminal justice and to bring the rules of criminal procedures in Nigeria in line with global best practices and the need of the 21st Century.
He added that the objectives of the Act, as found in Section 1 of the law, are to promote efficient management of criminal justice institutions, provide speedy dispensation of justice and protect the society from crime, while defending the rights and interest of the defendant and the victim.
“These indicate a deliberate shift from punishment, as the main goal of criminal justice to restorative justice, which pays attention to the needs of the society, the victims, vulnerable persons and human dignity,” the CJN said.
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