Kwara Governor Hailed Over Criminal Justice System

A renowned lawyer, Mr Rotimi Jacob (SAN), has lauded the Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for reacting swiftly on the moves to promote the criminal justice system in Nigeria.

He, however, said that 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.”
Jacob spoke in Ilorin, Kwara State at a sensitisation workshop organised by the state’s Ministry of Justice 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 Jacob.

“Kwara is one the first 12 states that enacted the Administration of Criminal Justice Law. This is quite encouraging and commendable.

“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.

In his address, the chief judge of Kwara State, Justice Abiodun Adebara, commended the Ministry of Justice 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 misinterpretation 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,” Adebara said.

The commissioner for Justice and attorney-general of the state, Barr Senior Sulyman, 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.