Group Highlights Role Of Media Practitioners For Effective Implementation Of ACJL Regime

There is need for all media practitioners across board to increase the level of awareness around the realities of not implementing the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in Nigeria as this is the only way stakeholders within the value chain can coordinate, collaborate and communicate with each other in terms of how the law can function better.

Dr. Salaudeen Hashim, Program Director, CLEEN Foundation, gave this submission on Wednesday, April 2, 2025 in Lagos.

During the event tagged “Media Advocacy for Increased Budgetary Allocation for Efficient Implementation of ACJL Regime”
Dr. Hashim noted that “Raising the awareness about the incoherence in the implementation in most states is very fundamental to improve justice delivery system in Nigeria”.

“The media also need to track and report the impacts of not implementing this law on citizens because this is actually very key. And we need to highlight the corrupt practices that undermine the implementation of this law. The issue that borders around higher priority to transparency, accountability and open governance issues. Promoting voices that seek for the eradication of justice for the rich alone is becoming very increasing” he stressed.

In his word, the Program Director added “We need to eliminate undue political influence on the dispensation of justice and create a regular forum where interactions like this can happen.So that we can also put some alternatives out there.

“The media must take more interest in the in-depth reporting and analysis of this law and how the state must also see the need to advance funding for that particular asset.

“We must also regularly report on issues that are able to collaborate for purposes of reaching a functional global standard because of course, the country is becoming a little bit of a mockery within the committee of nations” he opined.

In his remarks, Mr. Peter Maduoma, Acting Executive Director CLEEN Foundation commended the media for partnering with the Foundation on the project.

While reacting to the issue of plea bargaining as being practiced in the country, Mr. Maduoma stated that “the idea has been bastardized by the law enforcement agents, particularly to exploit those in search for justice”. According to him, “plea bargain is one of the weaknesses I see in this law. A situation where an individual stole 50 billion naira and because of plea bargain, he offered to pay 10 billion naira and was asked to go and so no more, this to me is very unfair.
So I’m calling on the media to amplify that section of the law until it is amended and changed” he charged.

The CLEEN Foundation is a Non Governmental Organization established with the mission of promoting public safety, security and accessible justice through the strategies of empirical research, legislative advocacy, demonstration programmes and publications in partnership with government civil society and the private sector.