CLEEN Foundation, Kaduna ACJL Working Group, NUJ Push for Stronger Human Rights Reporting, Gender Inclusion and Justice Reform
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
Calls for stronger human rights protection, deeper media accountability, and improved implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) dominated a three-day media workshop held in Kaduna, where key stakeholders urged journalists to play a frontline role in strengthening justice delivery, gender inclusion, peace and security.
The workshop, organised by CLEEN Foundation and supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy, brought together journalists, researchers, justice sector actors and the Kaduna State ACJL Working Group to deepen media capacity on human-rights–centered reporting and the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.
Represented by Christiana Lawrence, CLEEN Foundation’s Executive Director, Peter Maduoma, said the initiative aims to close persistent gaps in criminal justice reforms and gender-responsive governance.
He noted that despite the passage of the ACJA in 2015 and its adoption across states, implementation remains inconsistent, especially in areas affecting women, victims, and vulnerable groups.
According to him, the project “Strengthening Rights-Based Approach to ACJA Frameworks and Advancing Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria” is designed to equip the media with the tools to hold institutions accountable, track justice sector performance, and amplify the voices of women in governance and peacebuilding.
Maduoma explained that baseline assessments, capacity-building for justice actors, establishment of state ACJL working groups, and multi-stakeholder WPS committees have already been rolled out. The next step, he said, is ensuring the public is fully informed through accurate, ethical, human rights–sensitive reporting.
Dr. Terngu Gwar, Chairman of the Kaduna State ACJL Working Group, said the law remains one of the most transformative justice sector reforms in the state, promoting transparency, protecting victims and suspects, and eliminating delays.
But he warned that progress will stall without a well-informed media that can monitor compliance, expose gaps, and pressure institutions to uphold their obligations.
“Journalists are the bridge between policy and the people,” he said, stressing that responsible reporting is crucial for public understanding, conflict-sensitive communication, and elevating women’s roles in peacebuilding.
He added that societies perform better when women are fully represented in decision-making and urged the media to help change harmful narratives that hinder gender equality.
For the media, the workshop came as a timely intervention. Kaduna NUJ Chairman, Abdulgafar Alabelewe, said journalists remain overstretched by demands from multiple sectors and often lack the deep knowledge required to report effectively on technical reforms like the ACJL.
He noted that many Nigerians are denied justice not because of crime but because their rights were violated or due process failed. Journalists, he said, must help expose such cases but need access to accurate information and proper understanding of the law.
“The media is ready to partner, investigate, and bring attention to issues that require public interest reporting — but such issues must be brought to our notice,” he said, pledging the NUJ’s full support to the ACJL Working Group and CLEEN Foundation.
Across the three days, participants examined how the ACJL can protect citizens’ rights, how the WPS agenda can strengthen security and governance, and how journalists can counter misinformation, reduce tensions, and shed light on the justice challenges affecting communities.
The workshop ended with a shared commitment: stronger collaboration between the media and justice sector actors to ensure Kaduna becomes a state where justice works, rights are protected, women’s voices matter, and peace is sustained.
