Osinbajo says FG is talks to strengthen Criminal Justice system in Nigeria

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday reiterated the resolve of the federal government to carryout reforms in the Criminal Justice System of Nigeria.

The reforms, he said this would help in repositioning the courts and the entire judicial system adding that it will take into consideration the methods of appointing judges, their salaries and other welfare packages.

The reforms which is expected to be comprehensive will also stop the frivolous abuse of trials at both lower and appellate courts.

Osinbajo who spoke while fielding questions from participants of Course 25 of the National Defence College, NDC, Abuja after delivering a lecture titled “Economic Dimension of the National Security: The Nigerian Experience, also advocated for the introduction of State police even as he said the new justice system would ensure stiffer penalties for corruption.

“The criminal justice system as you know is policing, it is prosecution. It touches on our jails and so on. One of the most
important things that we have always talked about in criminal justice system is community policing. State police is very important because there is no federation of our size that does not have state police.
You need community policing to be able to be more effective just in detection.

“If you look at the countries of the world it is important for there to be a police force in the local community that is homegrown and understands the language, whereas the army can be a national army because the army hardly engages itself in internal issues except in extreme situations. The police cannot afford to be a federal force, there must be a community force. That is one aspect.

“The other aspect of it is the prosecution and detection. Of course there are so many issues around detection which we cannot go into now.
Let’s just talk about prosecution.

“The prosecution of cases usually is a state affair and you find that if you have an effective investigation system, prosecutors will usually have good materials to work with but you also need the court system, the court system that is efficient. When a court system is inefficient, it is either for two reasons. One is structural and the other is an administrative issue.

“So, we need to build a system that is based on consequence for misdeeds and rewards for good conduct. Once that is put in place, most people are rational, there is nowhere in the world where people will run around doing what they like and the reason why they don’t is because there is a system in place. But once there is no system or the
system doesn’t work they do what they like.

“So, one of the critical things that we need to do is to ensure that people know that there is consequence for corruption especially within our system of justice. Once that is clearly outlined it becomes easier to find judges or persons who will do their jobs diligently and who will not compromise.

“So, in the reform of the criminal justice system, we are in conversation with the relevant stakeholders, the Attorney- General and others, looking at what to do, how to do it, looking at the remuneration package, the appointment of judges, discipline and all that.

“Also there are issues around the appellate system, trying to stop frivolous abuse of trials, and the appellate courts must refuse any attempts to frustrate progress of trials in the lower courts. It is a whole comprehensive set of reforms that will be required” he said.

Osinbajo who admitted that there were already cracks divisions amongst the ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, said a new orientation was underway by the government to tackle the issue.

“I think the point you’ve made is very important, The Ministry of Information, the local education offices, the NOA, will have to do a lot more in terms of national orientation. There is clearly the need to mobilize our people around values. The NOA have said that they have a plan which they are going to launch. Clearly and I agree that most people are working towards advancing a particular interest and most of it is advanced by the elite.

“The issues about the South-south, the South-West and the rest are basically the elite advancement. If it was aimed at improving the lots of the people, it would have made more sense. But we shouldn’t encourage it at all, because of the fault lines that we have, we should not encourage further division in the polity whether on ethnicity, or religion”, he said.

 

Elizabeth Archibong