The Federal Government has advised State Governments to adopt the 2015 Administration of Criminal Justice Act in order to stem the tide of corruption in Nigeria.
Speaking at a forum on ‘Criminal Justice Administration’ in the Abuja on Wednesday, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, said that the Federal Government remains committed to fighting corruption at all levels.
He said that the enforcement of Section 306 and 396 of the Act, which forbids applications for stay of proceedings in respect of criminal matters before a court will fast track the prosecution of corrupt persons.
The Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption, Professor Itse Sagay (SAN), however, criticised the delay in the trial of corruption cases, which has led to a low level of conviction.
The Convener of the forum and President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies said that approaches adopted by the courts in the past, contributed to the delay in the trial of corruption cases.
With the conviction of only seven cases in 15 years as disclosed by Professor Sagay (SAN), the enforcement of the administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 will no doubt contribute to stemming the tide of corruption in the country.