KWSG holds seminar for judicial staff, top lawyers on administration of criminal justice
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
Kwara State Ministry of Justice has organised a sensitisation workshop for judicial officers and public prosecutors on the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
Themed “Investigation and Prosecutions: Focal Lens on Extant Nigerian Laws and Judicial Pronouncements on Extra-Judicial Statements,” the maiden annual programme was keynoted by the popular legal luminary, Rotimi Jacob, SAN.
Top attendees included the Kwara State Chief Judge Justice Abiodun Adebara; Attorney General of the State and Commissioner of Justice, Senior Ibrahim Sulyman; High Court judges and Magistrates; Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Barrister Kikelomo Grillo; leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), and some law enforcement agencies.
Speaking at the event, Justice Adebara, commended the Ministry for convening intellectuals and key stakeholders, saying the theme of the workshop speaks to advancement of the criminal jurisprudence in the state.
He noted that the birth of criminal justice law will check discrepancies in recording protocols and the misinterpretion of legal requirements, which, according to him, cause inconsistency and risk of abuse.
He said the State Judiciary recently introduced three Practice Directions to address some of the challenges in the criminal justice system, including misuse of Direct Criminal Complaints under Sections 96-100 of the Kwara State ACJL 2018.
“The first is the Administration of Criminal Justice Law Practice Direction No. 1 of 2025 which came into effect on 2nd June, 2025, and it is aimed at achieving speedy administration of justice in Kwara state vis-a-vis criminal cases that were filed in courts,” he said.
“The last two are Magistrate Court of Kwara State’s Practice Direction on Direct Criminal Complaints and Area Court of Kwara State’s Practice Direction on Direct Criminal Complaints.”
Sulyman, for his part, said the state enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2018 to ensure efficient management of Criminal Justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of rights and interests of the suspect or defendant and the victims.
Appreciating the Governor for creating enabling grounds for the Ministry to perform, Sulyman said AbdulRazaq has always supported improved administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
He said following the Governor’s approval, the Ministry recently procured recording gadgets for all investigating agencies in the state to ease their work, assuring participants that the tools would be presented at the end of the workshop.
“One of the innovations introduced by the law was the provisions for the mode and manner extra judicial statements of defendants are to be recorded to make it admissible in court,” the Commissioner said.
“I am certain this will form a crux of our interaction today and I urge the investigative and law enforcement agencies to pay rapt attention for subsequent compliance.”
He urged all participants to make the best of the workshop and apply the knowledge therefrom in their day to day activities as prosecutors.
Presenting his paper, Jacob said achieving the objective of enacting the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Kwara State depends on how effective crimes are investigated and prosecuted within the state.
He lauded Governor AbdulRazaq for reacting swiftly on the moves to promote the criminal justice system in Nigeria.
“Kwara is one the first twelve states that enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Law. This is quite encouraging and commendable,” he said.
“Where there is effective investigation and efficient prosecution, an innocent person will not be convicted for an offence he did not commit nor will the guilty be allowed to escape.”
The beauty of the criminal justice law is to protect innocent citizens from being wrongly prosecuted, he said.