The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has unearthed plans to launch Nationwide deployment and use of Virtual Court Proceedings in Nigeria’s Correctional Centres.
According to a statement issued by Dr. Umar Gwandu, the Special Assistant to the AGF on Media, “Malami will launch the pilot project for the deployment and use Virtual Court Sitting facilities at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja on Monday the 6th day of December, 2021”.
Expected at the Occasion are the Minister of Interior; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Controller – General of the Nigerian Correctional Service; Halilu Nababa as well as members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion.
It was noted that the Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels working with the representative of the supporting organization; Mrs. Oyinye Ndubuisi of the UNDP are working assiduously to ensure achievement of the laudable project.
According to the statement, “the initiative is one of the strategic interventions by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and indeed the Federal Government towards engendering lasting reforms in the Criminal Justice Sector in Nigeria”.
The statement said it is the development of the Consolidated Sentencing Guidelines (Custodial and Non-Custodial) Practice Directions, 2020.
“The Ministry in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion expedite engagement with the Nigerian Correctional Centres to make it possible for evidence of suspects in custody to be taken without their physical presence in court to avoid disruptions.
“The development is part of the process to implement the Post-Covid-19 Justice Sector Plan marshaled out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in April, 2020.”
