The incessant cases of corruption, human rights abuses and violations, by the law enforcement agencies, particularly the police, the courts and judicial officers, took the front burner at a training for the media and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), in Umuahia on Strengthening Access to Justice for All in Abia State.
Participants at the capacity building training, implemented by the Centre for Transparency Advocacy, CTA, in collaboration with the Abia State Ministry of Justice, called out the police and officers of the judiciary on strict adherence to the provisions of the law in discharging their duties, lamenting a situation in which the police with the collaboration of the courts will hurriedly and summarily try and send a defendant to the custodial centre without following the due process of the law a development that was blamed for overcrowding and dehumanisation of the inmates.
The training supported by the Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme (RoLAC), and funded by the European Union through International IDEA, sought to enlist the media for increased awareness of the Abia State Criminal Justice Law, ACJL, 2017, so that citizens become aware of their rights as enshrined in the law.
Speaking on behalf of the media, Messrs Steve Oko of the Vanguard newspapers and Emmanuel Nwazue of Afia TV lamented the discriminatory arrests by the police and wondered why the law did not prescribe sanctions for abuses and rights violations by security agencies against citizens.
“They also lamented the absence of remand homes for juveniles resulting in keeping juvenile offenders with adults in the custodial centers.
Representatives of various civil society organisations, including people living with disability, National Council of Women Society, NCWS, Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria, PPFN, drew attention to rights violations and inhuman treatment by security agencies and demanded that the law take cognizance of issues of bail (as being free and by women), torture, welfare of custodial centre inmates, awaiting trial, adequate financial allocation to Legal Aid council to offer free legal service to the vulnerable and indigent as well as keeping children in custodial centre with their mothers.
Speaking on empowering civil society and citizens for effective oversight and advocacy in criminal justice reform, the Executive Director of CTA, Engr Faith Nwadishi, outlined the objectives of the training to include, raising citizens’ awareness of their rights and protections under the ACJL 2017, equip participants with skills to build alliances and engage with authorities, among others.
A legal practitioner, Bar Chiemezielam Uluoha-Steve in her review of the law, said the law prohibited denial of access to lawyers and being kept incommunicado without the knowledge of family members, making statements under duress, among others.
