By Lizzy Carr, Bauchi
Bauchi State has made provision for non-custodial, remedial and restorative sentencing under the amended Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2022.
The Attorney general and Commissioner of Justice Abubakar Abdul Hamid made this known at the unveiling of Gazette of the Administration of Criminal Justice 2022 and the Violence against persons prohibition VAPP Law organised by IKRA Foundation with support from IPAS Health Foundation Tuesday at the NUJ Secretariat Bauchi.
He said the introduction of non-custodial, remedial and restorative sentencing is to decongest correctional centres in the state.
“There are many suspects awaiting trail in our correctional centres and we need alternative punishment strategies and that will b dependent on the judge.”
The Attorney general noted that the passage and assent of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2022 will ensure speedy dispensation of justice, protection of human rights and elimination of delays and bottlenecks.
He added that the law has innovations that include the expansion of jurisdiction of chief magistrates to trail rape cases, increase the monetary and sentencing jurisdiction of magistrates.
“Henceforth the commencement and conclusion of trails will take only 180 days.”
Under the amended VAPP Law 2022, it criminalise all harmful traditional practices such as female gentile mutilation, force marriage and harmful widowhood practices.
State chief judge, Justice Rabi Talatu Umar said it is the first time Bauchi State had a complete overhaul of the criminal justice.
“The penal code never saw any amendment since 1960 when it was signed into law, “
Umar said enacting the laws does not necessarily translate to effective application of that law.
“It is therefore necessary that all agencies in the administration of criminal justice in Bauchi state must endeavour to study and understand the provision of these laws,”
The high court said it registered 567 civil cases and 1232 criminal cases to which 219 are gender-based violence in 2021.
In 2022, 1,319 civil cases were registered, and 2,416 are criminal cases including 184 GBV.
“From January 2023 to February 13th 2023 the court registered 275 criminal cases out of which 17 are GBV cases, “
