President Bola Tinubu has transmitted a bill seeking to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and re-enact it as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026 to the Senate for consideration.
The proposed legislation is intended to provide a legal framework for the administration of criminal justice in courts within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts across Nigeria.
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It also seeks to establish the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to promote effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in the country.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, disclosed this in a letter from the president, which he read during plenary on Thursday.
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“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 read.
In the letter, Mr Tinubu said the proposal aims to ensure that Nigeria’s criminal justice system promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions and guarantees the speedy dispensation of justice.
“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.
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The president further explained that the bill is intended to address legal, procedural and institutional challenges that have hindered the effective administration of criminal justice 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.
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After reading the letter, Mr Akpabio referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters for further legislative action and directed it to report back within four weeks.
Nigeria’s criminal justice system has long been criticised for delays in investigations, prolonged pre-trial detention, congested correctional centres, and slow prosecution of criminal cases.
Before the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) in 2015, criminal procedures in the country were governed by separate laws, including the Criminal Procedure Act in southern Nigeria and the Criminal Procedure Code in the northern states, resulting in inconsistencies in the administration of justice.
The ACJA 2015 was signed into law by former President Muhammadu Buhari to harmonise criminal procedure across federal courts and introduce reforms aimed at speeding up criminal trials and protecting the rights of suspects, defendants and victims.
Among its notable provisions are restrictions on unnecessary adjournments, mandatory recording of confessional statements, monthly inspections of detention facilities by chief magistrates, and provisions designed to reduce the use of prolonged detention without trial.
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