Oyo State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Oluseun Abimbola has tasked the legal practitioners, security agencies in the state to explore new alternative laws enacted by the state government and ensure proper implementation of these laws to enhance speedy and effective dispensation of justice in the state.
Mr Abimbola gave the task while declaring open three-day training on Effective Implementation of Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2017 in Oyo State organized by the State Ministry of Justice in conjunction with Partners West Africa Nigeria held at Aare Ona Kakanfo Conference Hall, Ibadan.
The Commissioner said that it is essential to replace the seventy-two-year-old Criminal Procedure Law (CPL) of Oyo State inherited from the colonial government which at the moment has little or no relevance in terms of its responsiveness to achieving an effective and efficient criminal justice system.
Mr. Abimbola, who expressed concern over abuse of judicial process by some users and stakeholders in the sector which has led to delay in justice delivery called for total compliance with the new criminal justice administration law in order to transform the state judicial sector. “Let me inform this gathering that Governor Abiola Ajimobi led administration is committed to reform the judicial sector considering various laws enacted in the state which includes enactment of the community Service Law 2016, Violence
Against Women (Prohibition) Law 2017, the Oyo State Real Property Protection Law 2018, and the Oyo State Multi-door Courthouse Law 2018. No doubt, these new laws if properly administered would enable the state to get the desired result in the sector” ;
He, however, enjoined legal practitioners and stakeholders in justice sector to familiarize themselves with the working of these new laws and implementation strategy with respect to internal process to achieve credible administration of criminal justice in Oyo State. Speaking at the event, the Guest Speakers, the Judge, Customary Court of Appeal, Oyo State, Hon. Justice , T.M Abdul – Ganiyu and Director, Public Prosecution , Oyo State, Sunday ( ESQ) Adeoye submitted that the Administration of Criminal Justice Law ( ACJL) will be sufficient with the introduction of a specific statement of an offence with which the suspect is charged and a complaint is made within 6 years of the alleged offence unless there is any contrary provision in the law creating the offence.
In her remark, the Program Officer, Partners West Africa Nigeria, Minoe Duamwan said the training was put together to examine the effectiveness of administration of criminal justice law and its conformity with the judicial system of Oyo State.
