Towards People-Centred Justice: New Report Exposes Deep Gaps in ACJL Implementation in Nigeria
By Uangbaoje Alex, Kaduna
A new policy brief by the CLEEN Foundation has warned that Nigeria’s criminal justice system risks failing its citizens unless states fully adopt a people-centred and rights-based approach in implementing the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
The report, supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and based on a 12-state baseline assessment, shows that while many justice actors are aware of the ACJL, most of its crucial provisions remain weakly enforced.
This continued gap in implementation leaves suspects vulnerable and justice institutions unable to meet standards of fairness, transparency, and timely service delivery.
The study reveals that despite 86 percent of justice sector personnel claiming familiarity with the ACJL, this awareness has not translated into effective compliance.
CLEEN Foundation found persistent inconsistencies across police, courts, corrections, and prosecution. It also identified systemic problems such as weak investigations, chronic delays in trials, the low use of non-custodial sentencing, and continued reliance on outdated, paper-based systems.
The report further highlights corruption risks and poor coordination among key justice institutions, which together undermine public confidence in the system.
One of the most troubling findings is the lack of effective coordination across justice institutions. The Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committees (ACJMCs), which were established to track compliance, initially viewed newly created working groups as rival structures.
This misunderstanding caused delays, role conflicts, and generally poor cooperation across agencies charged with implementing the law.
Although improved clarification has since enhanced synergy between these bodies, the policy brief warns that the early challenges exposed deep structural and communication gaps within the system.
Beyond institutional weaknesses, the study shows that most citizens remain unfamiliar with essential rights guaranteed under the ACJL.
Many are unaware that the law prohibits arrest in lieu, guarantees timely arraignment, and mandates proper documentation and reporting of arrests. The requirement for electronic recording of confessions, designed to protect suspects from torture or coercion, is also not well understood.
The CLEEN Foundation notes that media stakeholders, who could help raise public awareness and drive conversations around justice reform, remain under-engaged in this critical work.
The report also underscores the extent to which the justice sector is still dominated by manual processes. Case management remains mostly paper-based, documentation is often incomplete, and tracking systems are either outdated or non-existent.
More concerning is that over 30 percent of justice actors admitted they were unaware of the legal requirement to submit arrest records within stipulated timelines. This lack of awareness continues to fuel unlawful detention practices and prolonged trial delays.
Police compliance with core ACJL procedures remains low. Only 37 percent of respondents said suspects are arraigned within the timelines set by law. Despite being explicitly prohibited, the practice of arrest in lieu continues in several states.
Electronic recording of confessions is rare, and most case records are not accessible to the public or lawyers, making transparency difficult to achieve.
Across the 12 states, the CLEEN Foundation identified four major issues hindering progress. The first is the weak adoption of non-custodial sentencing, which remains poorly structured and rarely applied despite its potential to reduce overcrowding and support rehabilitation.
The second is the slow transition to digital case management, with institutions still relying heavily on manual files. The third problem is the widespread inefficiency in case management, including inconsistent adherence to timelines and weak oversight mechanisms.
The final challenge is the poor functionality of monitoring committees that are supposed to ensure compliance with the ACJL.
To address these challenges, the policy brief outlines several recommendations.
It urges the executive arm of government to enforce the ACJL uniformly across all justice institutions, improve funding, strengthen monitoring mechanisms, ensure adequate staffing, and mandate statewide data reporting.
Legislatures are encouraged to conduct regular jail delivery exercises, issue legal advice promptly, prioritise the protection of vulnerable groups, and promote restorative justice.
The judiciary is asked to improve case management efficiency, adopt digital tracking systems, and enforce compliance with statutory timelines.
Security agencies are advised to embrace rights-based policing, improve investigative capacity, adopt technology-based tools, and collaborate more effectively with other actors in the justice chain.
Civil society organisations, according to the brief, must expand community-level awareness of the ACJL, promote citizen monitoring, and sustain advocacy for transparency and accountability.
Despite the systemic challenges, the report outlines positive progress already achieved.
More than 1,000 justice sector actors have been engaged, over 360 trained on ACJL procedures, 12 monitoring committees have been established, and 107 inmates have been released as a direct result of improved oversight.
The CLEEN Foundation says these outcomes demonstrate that justice sector reform is possible when institutions commit to collaboration, transparency, and consistent enforcement of the law.
The organisation concludes that Nigeria can build a truly people-centred and rights-based criminal justice system if political leaders, justice institutions, and civil society sustain the momentum for reform.
The findings, it says, should serve as a national wake-up call to ensure justice is not only delivered, but delivered fairly, promptly, and in a way that upholds the dignity of every Nigerian.
