Stakeholders Raise Alarm Over Poor Criminal Justice Implementation in Bauchi
By Ahmed Ahmed
Stakeholders in Bauchi State have expressed deep concern over the poor implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL), calling for urgent action to fix the state’s failing justice system.
Speaking at a one‑day capacity‑building workshop organized by the Centre for Socio‑Legal Studies (CSLS) on Tuesday, Chief Magistrate Safiya Musa described Bauchi’s justice ranking as alarming, placing 28th nationwide.
“The ACJL exists, but its implementation is poor. We need to wake up and do more,” she said, urging stronger collaboration among stakeholders.
Ahmed Tata, spokesperson for the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS) Bauchi Command, revealed that the state’s correctional centres house over 900 inmates, with nearly 600 awaiting trial, blaming the congestion on slow justice delivery.
Representing CSLS Executive Director Prof. Yemi Akinseye‑George (SAN), Ms. Sharon Jibaniya said the workshop aimed to finalize National Minimum Standards to harmonize criminal procedures across the country.
Participants included representatives of the NBA, ICPC, EFCC, NCoS the Police among others
