By Haruna Salami
The Senate has passed a new Administration of Criminal Justice bill (ACJ) by repealing Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and re-enacting Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2026) aimed at strengthening criminal justice administration in Nigeria.
The new legislation provides for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory and other Federal Courts in the country. It also provides for the continued establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to ensure effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
This followed the consideration of the Reports of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters by the chairman, Senator Adegbonmire, Adeniyi Ayodele (Ondo Central).
According to the bill, its objective, as contained in Section 1, is to ensure that Nigeria’s criminal justice system promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of suspects, defendants and victims.
It also seeks to ensure that courts, law enforcement agencies and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the Act.
The repeal of the existing Act and the re-enactment of a new law, according to the bill is intended to address legal, procedural and institutional challenges identified as hindering effective criminal justice administration under the 2015 Act.
The challenges listed in the repealed ACJA 2015 include delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, poor coordination among criminal justice institutions, weak case management mechanisms, and limitations in monitoring and evaluating compliance with the provisions of the Act.
The report stated that the bill was reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure and legislative drafting, and that it had addressed the identified challenges. It added that the proposed legislation reflects developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations and international best practices in criminal justice reform.
It further stated that the bill has strengthened the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council and introduced additional measures aimed at ensuring effective implementation of the Act.
In another development, the Senate also passed Proceeds of Crime Act (Amendment) Bill, 2026 by establishing a process of crime recovery and management agency with full legal personality to manage the recovery, preservation and disposal of properties reasonably suspected to have been derived from unlawful activities.
The Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks said with the creation of the new agency recovered property will no longer be abandoned to rots, adding “now we have an agency that will manage those properties for the benefit of Nigerians”.
