The CLEEN Foundation, a Non-governmental organisation has called for a robust stakeholders collaboration in advocacy for parole and criminal justice in Nigeria.
The Executive Director of the Foundation, Mr. Gad Peter made the call on Thursday in Asaba in his welcome address at a 2-day workshop on legal framework on Parole and the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
Represented by Mr. Ebere Mbaegbu, the programme officer of the foundation, Peter said that the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria is characterised by numerous challenges in the system.
“Taking a look at administration of criminal justice in Nigeria, we may ordinarily say that the various actors, like the police which is the backbone of criminal justice system is doing well.
“So also, we can also say that the court is also doing pretty well just like correctional service is equally doing well.
“However, despite all these efforts, there still exists numerous challenges that have continue to hinder the actualization of an effective and efficient justice system in Nigeria” he said.
The director listed delays in court processes, bribery and corruption, over-crowding of correctional facilities as some of the factors hindering the justice system.
He said the workshop was designed to provide a platform for brainstorming by stakeholders in identifying and addressing the challenges to make the criminal justice system work effectively.
The opening day of the workshop witnessed paper presentations by major stakeholders as well as panel discussion sessions.
In a presentation, the State Comptroller of the Nigeria Correctional Services, Delta Command, Mr. Raymond Nwagu urged major actors in the system to prioritise committed attention towards ensuring efficiency in the system.
Nwagu, who was represented by the Command’s officer in charge of Legal Matters, Barr. Paulina Egbon, an Assistant Comptroller of Corrections, argued that an efficient criminal justice should be time-bound.
“If we must make the system work effectively, then we must ensure that time is a major factor in the dispensation of justice.
“The rights of convicts must be respected and preserved at all time and it must done in line with standard best practices as obtainable globally”, Nwagu said.
Also in a presentation, the Delta Coordinator of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mrs. Flora Imo commended the CLEEN Foundation for organizing the workshop which she described as a welcome development.
She acknowledged that the legal aid council remained a key actor in the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
“As a key player in the justice system, we will continue to seek collaborations with all stakeholder in the system.
“I must say that this workshop is a welcome development because it will help in sensitizing the citizens on the principles of an efficient justice system.
“At the council, our main objective is to help decongest the prisons and this I can day is one of the reasons for the parole system”, Imo said.
In a paper, titled “Understanding the Mechanics of the Parole system” the workshop facilitator, Mr. Ebere Mbaegbu described parole as a temporary release of a convict from prison custody under certain conditions.
He listed the two types of parole to include conditional release and statutory release.
Mbaegbu explained that the objectives of the parole system are numerous, among them the need to conserve government resources and also to reintegrate the convicts back into the society.
According to him, a convict must meet certain condition to qualify for parole, some of the condition, he listed to include, reform and control condition, where he said that social workers play key role in assisting the convict.
The workshop facilitator further gave reasons for the parole system to include insufficient funding on the part of government, bribery and corruption, delays in trial as well as lack of trained personnel in the system.
