Experts want criminal justice system strengthened

Experts yesterday in Abuja stressed the need to strengthen the criminal justice system in Africa.

They spoke at the commencement of the Regional Conference of Sub-Saharan African Criminal Justice Stakeholders.

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Director-General, Juritrust Centre for Socio-Legal Research and Documentation, Prof. Adedeji Adekunle, said it was time to come up with meaningful solutions that would strengthen the criminal justice system and protect suspects and inmates.

Adekunle said the criminal justice system ought to be strengthened to free up prison cells and put penal measures in place to rehabilitate convicts.

A Senior Advocate of Rwanda, Advocate, Jean Bosco Mutangana, said the conference was to put measures in place to protect the rights of inmates and ensure speedy trials for inmates and suspects.

The Chief Justice of Ghana, Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, represented by Justice Nicholas Abodakpi, stressed the need for training, resources and integrity in the bid to administer justice.

He said integrity was key to proper investigation so that when a suspect was proclaimed guilty, the person was guilty indeed.

Declaring the conference open, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola represented by Justice Centus Nweze urged the organisers to invite judges when next they were to have such conferences to enable them to learn from stakeholders on how to go about the criminal justice administration.