Imo Centre, Police To Accelerate Justice Delivery

The Imo State Community Justice Centre (CJC) has urged the state police command to partner with it to provide faster, affordable and accessible dispute resolution for residents, specifically targeting land disputes, family conflicts and gender-based violence (GBV).

The chairman of the CJC Steering Committee, Eze Jude Nwaogu, made the call during the visit by the committee members to the commissioner of police, Audu Garba Bosso.

The committee proposed strengthening collaboration through referral systems, joint interventions, and capacity building to reduce the burden of non-criminal cases at police stations.

Nwaogu said the visit was to formally introduce the Community Justice Centre, create awareness about its people-centered justice services, and strengthen collaboration between the centre and the Nigeria Police Force to advance access to justice and community-based dispute resolution in Imo State.

He said the CJC was established to provide affordable justice and accessible to individuals confronted with land disputes, family conflicts, and gender-based violence issues.

Nwaogu disclosed that the CJC was ready to support police capacity-building initiatives in Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for managing gender-based violence cases.

Some of the steering committee members who attended were Mrs. Marjorie Ezihe, Mrs. Uzoamaka Nnah, Barr. Blaize Iwunze, and Mrs. Chizoba Eneberi.

Eze Nwaogu who is the traditional ruler of Egbelu Obube in the Owerri North local government, said the CJC was established as an initiative of the Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), with the Steering Committee currently sustaining and advancing its operations.

According to him, the centre was established to address barriers within the formal justice system like prolonged case timelines, procedural complexities, high financial costs associated with accessing justice, and settling disputes amicably.

They advocated for active police participation in the Steering Committee framework and CJC activities, opportunities for joint interventions in Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), gender-based violence response, and community policing.

The visit focused on the need for strengthened police participation through collaborative referral systems between Police Divisions and CJC mediators, ADR and mediation support to reduce the burden of non-criminal matters at police stations, psychosocial support for survivors of gender-based and domestic violence, joint community sensitization and awareness activities, and data-sharing and feedback mechanisms for case tracking and outcomes.

The Imo Police boss, Bosso welcomed the delegation and commended the efforts of the Community Justice Centre.

He welcomed the Steering Committee’s proposal for police capacity building and expressed hopes of partnership with the Community Justice Centre (CJC) of the State aimed at improved access to justice and community-based dispute resolution in Imo State.