Uwais Decries Toothless Criminal Laws
By Abimbola Akosile
Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Muhammadu Uwais, has described the present criminal procedure law in the country as outdated and grossly inadequate to deter criminals.
Uwais, who revealed this yesterday in his opening address as the Chairman of a 2-Day 3rd stakeholders' summit on administration of justice organised by Lagos State Ministry of Justice in collaboration with the judiciary and the Nigerian Bar Association, also claimed the process leads to acquittal of the guilty, but grossly inadequate to prescribe fines.
"It is imperative that the system of administering justice must be made to meet the yearning of the people it serves otherwise there will be loss of faith in the system. Presently, the law does not provide for a reliable alternative to prison sentence in order to avoid congestion", Uwais said.
He compared the criminal justice procedure of the colonial era and the present day system in Nigeria, and declared that the criminal justice system in the country seems to have lost its capacity to respond to the needs of the society to check the escalation of crime and bring criminals to book.
"The need for holding this summit to re-examine and re-evaluate our penal policy is important. I therefore welcome the effort being made by the government of Lagos State in conjunction with other stakeholders, including the Judiciary, the Bar, the Police, the Prison and Civil Societies to focus on specific reforms of the criminal law system", he said.
Governor Bola Tinubu, in his address, claimed justice has no expiry date and must be there for all at all times. "Law and the Rule of Law are the only true road to democracy and no arm of government is as crucial as the judiciary in a democracy. Judiciary stands between us and dictatorship, once judiciary is cowed, all is lost", he said.
Tinubu, who revealed government's recent approval of a memo-randum to refurbish and renovate the magistrate courts and provide a welfare package for magistrates in Lagos State, stated that his administration plans to establish an administration of justice that would be comparable to none else in Africa by 2007.
The event was well attended by prominent members of the society and judiciary drawn from across the country, among whom were Justice Akintola Ejiwunmi of the Supreme Court, Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Fatai Adeyinka, Mr. Joko Pelumi, Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly, and Chief Judges of Kwara, Benue, and Ogun States. It continues today with working sessions.
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