Maureen Okpe
The CLEEN Foundation, a civil society organization (CSO), has launched a two-day capacity-strengthening workshop for policing, law enforcement, and judicial stakeholders on the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) in Akwa Ibom State.
The workshop, funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, aimed at enhancing the efficacy of the law by developing the competencies of stakeholders and establishing monitoring mechanisms to ensure sustained compliance and improvement.
Acting Executive Director, CLEEN Foundation, Peter Maduoma, in his opening remark at the workshop, stated that, the ACJL was enacted in 2022 to promote a more efficient, fair, and transparent criminal justice system.
Maduoma however noted that, implementation has been hindered by budgeting constraints, inadequate resources, and capacity gaps among law enforcement officers and judicial actors.
He said, “the workshop seeks to deepen technical understanding, bridge knowledge gaps, strengthen collaboration, and equip stakeholders with practical tools to operationalize the application of the ACJL across key institutions responsible for criminal justice delivery in Akwa Ibom State.
“We are confident that working with all stakeholders in the Administration of Criminal Justice system in Nigeria, we can identify gaps and articulate ways to close them as a veritable tool for advocacy for further reforms and strengthening.”
Maduoma highlighted the workshop’s objectives to include, enhancing understanding and application of the ACJL provisions, building practical skills for effective monitoring and evaluation of ACJL compliance, and developing actionable strategies to address systemic challenges such as trial delays, custodial congestion, and rights violations.
He disclosed that, the CLEEN Foundation has been working to promote public safety, security, and social justice in Nigeria for 27 years. Adding, “the organization is committed to leveraging its experience in security and criminal justice sector reforms to deliver on this project.”
Participants at the workshop include stakeholders from law enforcement agencies, judicial institutions, and civil society organizations.