Aregbesola, Malami, Dambazau canvass speedy dispensation of justice

MINISTER of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has called on the judicial arm of government to support ongoing reform of the Nigerian Correctional Service ( NCOS) through speedy conclusion of criminal cases.

He specifically canvassed a 12- month timeline for dispensation of justice.

Blaming the # ENDSARS demonstrations for the rise in attacks on custodial facilities nationwide, Aregbesola said measure had been taken to forestall future violent protests.

He regretted that the COVID- 19 lockdown provided a veritable opportunity for the protesters to allegedly unleash more destruction on the already battered economy.

In his remarks, Attorney General of the F ederation ( AGF) and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said the Federal Government was considering sending a new bill to the National Assembly to address the gaps in the Nigerian Correctional Service Act, 2019.

The bill, he pointed out, would take into consideration the pivotal role of technology in corrections management and use of noncustodial sentencing in line with Section 470( 2) C of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act ( ACJA), 2015 to bring about internationally accepted standards.

Represented by Sokoto State Commissioner for Justice, Suleiman Usman, the AGF disclosed that Federal Executive Council ( FEC) had approved a contract for installation and implementation of Virtual Automated Case Management System ( VAMS), which incorporates an integrated biometric prisoner’s information to fasttrack decongestion of custodial facilities in Nigeria.