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Fagbemi urges judges to stop remanding minor offenders with hardened criminals

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Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN)

The Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has called for the implementation of non-custodial measures and sentencing guidelines under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 to reduce the country’s growing number of awaiting trial inmates.

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Fagbemi made the call at the two day workshop on the Implementation of Non-custodial Measure and Sentencing Guidelines under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 on Monday in Abuja.

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The AGF was represented by Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, Director of Administration of Criminal Justice and Reforms Department/Correctional Unit of the Federal Ministry of Justice.

He also encouraged trial judges to stop remanding minor offenders with dangerous criminals, which he said led to them being introduced into a life of crime rather than being reformed.He stated that the goal of non-custodial measures is to discover viable alternatives to incarceration for offenders.

The aim of the workshop is to share knowledge on the effective use of these instruments that will lead to a decrease in arbitrary punishments, uniformity in punishments ;and utilization of alternatives to imprisonment to decrease the population of awaiting trial inmates.

“In discharging that function, the sentencing Judge must strive to achieve the right balance between imposing a merited sentence in the case at hand, while maintaining a broad level of consistency with other cases so that sentencing at a systematic level is fair.

“The Administration of Criminal Justice Act was enacted and came into force on May 13, 2015, the Act placed premium on non-custodial sentences.

“In line with ACJA 2015, the Federal Government has set out guidelines to stipulate the requirements and procedure for imposing Non-Custodial sentencing for the purpose of preventing abuse and ensuring reasonable uniformity and fairness in the imposition of sentences”.

He said that the order to facilitate the application and effective use of the non-custodial sentencing, the legal and regulatory framework must be effectively implemented.

“The purpose of non-custodial measures is to find effective alternatives to imprisonment for offenders and this is in accordance with the current global shift in punishing convicts with alternatives to prison terms.

“The aim of the trend is to give the judges and magistrates much latitude and discretion to award befitting and purposeful punishment to convicts aside the punishment suggested by the statute creating the offence.

“Since the coming into effect of the Practice Direction in 2020, the sentencing landscape has continued to develop rapidly and extensively”.

He said that the use of non custodial measure has facilitated reduction in correctional facility to the barest minimum in line with section 470(2)(c) of the Administration of Criminal Justice.

“The guidelines provides appropriate standards and measures for the sentencing process in offence against the State, Person, Public order for the purpose of uniformity and fairness in sentencing which will further strengthen the criminal procedure system.

“The success of any system of criminal justice administration depends on the level of effective implementation of the guidelines by the agencies involved.

He noted that the courts have handed down many more sentencing frameworks to guide the exercise of sentencing discretion in a broadly consistent way.

“It is my believe that this workshop would provide a timely opportunity for us to reflect on recent developments, so that we can look to what might lie ahead of us in the context of sentencing in our courts.

“We have seen countless cases where defendants are arrested for minor offences and locked up in prisons adding to the population of awaiting trial inmates.

“These offenders remanded with hardened criminals end up being initiated into a life of crime instead of been reformed”.

He hoped that the Non custodial measures and sentencing guidelines will be more operational and effectively implemented in order to achieve the objectives and purposes of the reforms in the criminal sector.

“The Federal Ministry of Justice as the leading stakeholder in the Justice Administration in Nigeria will continue to develop appropriate frameworks and measures to overcome the unique challenges in the Criminal Justice sector and strengthen the application of law to align with International best practices”.

NAN

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Crime

Police foils abduction of passengers along Ayere road

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The Operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, attached to Police Mobile Force, 70 Squadron, Kabba today Friday 14th March, 2025 foiled abduction of passengers along Ayere road. This is consequent upon a distress that some armed hoodlums blocked the road in an attempt to abduct some passengers in a Vehicle.

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On receipt of the distress call, reinforcement teams from Sharper Corner pindown were promptly mobilized and sent to the scene which equally engaged the hoodlums, and owing to the superior fire power of the Police, the hoodlums fled into the bush and abandoned their victims who were rescued by the Police.

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The Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Miller G. Dantawaye, has ordered the deployment of additional operational and tactical assets of the Command to embark on thorough combing of the surrounding bushes with a view to apprehending the hoodlums and bringing them to deserved justice.

The CP while commending the unwavering dedication by the men of 70 PMF, Kabba, assured the public that the Police will not rest on its oars in the fight against criminality in the State.

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Akogun Elijah Adeogun calls on IGP Egbetokun to investigate land speculators over blackmail, murder charges against him

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Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun

Mr Akogun Elijah Adeogun is calling on the Inspector General of Police IGP Kayode Egbetokun to come to his rescue and investigate blackmail and murder charges levelled against him by land speculators in Osuke Ogun state

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Mr Adeogun n stated that his trouble started with the land speculators after he was selected as a member of the Land committee in Living Faith Church as the land speculators linking him to the unrest in Osuke community are unhappy since he become a member of the land committee.

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Mr. Adeogun who spoke during a press conference in Abuja said those linking him to the unrest in Osuke which claimed the life of one Obasanjo Jinadu Saheed have resorted to blackmail and using the police to arrest him incessantly despite the fact he was not in Osuke community when the incident happened as well as the fact that he has no hand in the incident.

He said ‘ This issue started about three week ago after I was selected by the Living Faith Tabernacle church aka Winners Chapel Ota as a member of the church’s Land Committee . I am not from Osuke community .

“I am from Ilasa community. I have been to Osuke only once in my life . I don’t have a land in Osuke community and I am not the Winners Chapel that owns land in the area. I was included in the Land Committee three weeks ago because they got wind of the kind of job I do. We were having a meeting of the committee where it was resolved that everyone should steer clear of all the lands belonging to the church at least for now because despite having a subsisting court injunction which was gotten on the lands, the land speculators still continued to dredge the land for commercial purposes. So, it was resolved that we should write a petition to that effect.

We were at Police command at Elewaran Ogun state last week for the petition we wrote on the case while one Ibrahim Ibuoye also wrote his own petition. It was at the DCP’s office we resolved through an undertaking that all parties should maintain status quo on the land as the court ruled. Is Winners land a plot of land or half plot of land that I can encroach with the aim of selling? So, how will I go there to cause trouble?”

Speaking on the blackmail and concerted efforts to malign him using the police, Mr. Akogun said ”I was in court on Monday February 24th when the blackmail started. . One Mr. Julius Aghahowa called me that he heard there was shooting at Osuke community and I asked him of what concern that is to me and told him not to call my line again. When I returned from court in the evening, I got another call from Zone 2 police command Onikan Lagos because Winners’Church land matter is being handled there with the IGP Monitoring Unit, so I told them that they should call Winners because I don’t have land in Osuke community and I am not at loggerheads with anyone in the community. My role in Winner’s land committee is just to advise them on what to do to resolve the land dispute they have with land speculators.

“After I returned from the Magistrates’ court in Ota , I found out about the news report linking me to the unrest and killing of one Obasanjo Jinadu Saheed at Osuke community . I was shocked as I was not in anywhere near Osuke community that fateful day. The matter was reported at the Elewaran police Headquarters in Ogun state and the police went to the court to investigate and they found out that I was indeed in the court when the unrest and killing took place in Osuke community. I am very sad that due to my membership as a land committer member of my church, some land speculators are out to destroy my name and link me to a terrible crime like murder. I have learnt that they have petitioned the Assistant Inspect General of Police AIG Zone 2 Onikan Lagos to arrest me .

“This is all in a bid to continue to soil my reputation. I will not hesitate to report these persons to the police authority over this blackmail and linking me to murder. I am therefore appealing to the IGP Egbetokun to save me from these desperate land speculators as I call for a thorough investigation into this matter because I am innocent’’

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Tension as unknown gunmen whisk away female police officer’s husband on his birthday

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The abduction of Mr Chinedu Nwachukwu in Port Harcourt city metropolis on his birthday being Sunday has continued to generate reactions as the security issues within south East and Rivers State gets messier day after day.

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It was gathered that the incident occurred at about 7:15pm along Chuba-Ozuoba road when some faceless armed men apprehended Mr Chinedu an Architect and renown husband to the gallant police officer whose life has been threatened over the years after leading an operation to raid a group of armed robbery gang in Abia State.

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According to an eye witness who pleaded anonymity said the “9th, March 2025 remains one of the horrible day in his life as the level of insecurity in South-East and South-South went worst.”

Speaking to news men, he expressed dissatisfaction over the tension created by men of the underworld in the region.

Another eyewitness Mrs Julia said, she was dumbfounded how the architect was abducted on his birthday.

According to her, “I saw Mr Chinedu with two people I believed to be his friends or clients when they were going to the site this morning along Chuba-Ozuoba road because, I know him as an Architect.

“He had handled a project for someone I know and I have seen him on site when I come around to sell food.”

Narrating further, she said “It was around 7:15pm, I was coming back from market, and saw him again in same area but he was walking alone when returning from site.

“We exchanged pleasantries when he told me today is his birthday, which I congratulated him then we departed. Not few distance from me, a blue Sienna car, I never notice just drove down towards him and three masked men with arms came down from the car and dragged him into the car while they drove off speedily before crowd could gather.

She said the only thing she could hear them saying was from a distance was “where is your wife?”

In the meantime, the police are yet to react or make any statement as of the time of filing this report although, earlier police report shows that the wife to the abducted husband of the female Police Officer, Mrs Blessing Gyabensawa has been on the news, crying over threat to her life and that of her family members by some faceless gang.

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