By Felix Kuyinu
The Lagos Restorative Justice Centre has held a training session to court Magistrates in the state on matters concerning Restorative Justice.
The exercise, held in collaboration with the Rule of Law and Anti Corruption Program, RoLAC, was channeled at ensuring peaceful resolution of criminal cases as well as dialoguing on ways to enshrine restorative justice into the Nigeria judicial system.
At the training program held at Radisson Blu hotel, Ikeja, on Thursday, the state’s Attorney General and Commisioner of Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, informed that Restorative Justice has being in existence in other countries in the past three decades, thus, calling for the need for it’s establishment in Nigeria.
Pedro discussed on the importance of Restorative Justice. He said, “The Restorative Justice is an approach to justice that aims to get offenders to take responsibility for their actions, to understand the harm they have caused to the victim, and also to allow the them redeem themselves.
“The conventional criminal justice response of punishment has suffered a great deal of setbacks such as recidivism, increase in the rate of crime, long prosecution process, overcrowding of correctional facilities, and overloading of court dockets amongst others.
“The move for justice reforms which initiated the introduction of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, ACJL, 2021, can not be underestimated in matters like this. The ACJL has provisions that aim at protecting both the victim, the offender, and the society, also known as Restorative Justice.
“The purpose of the Law is to ensure that the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, protection of the society from crime, protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, the defendant, and the victim while ensuring a speedy dispensation of justice in the State.
“So by saying this, the Magistrates are urged to take full advantage of this training program as this will help them develop new skills and strategies for resolving cases that focus on repairing harm and rehabilitating offenders, leading to a higher satisfaction with the justice system of the State,” Pedro advised.
The State Program Coordinator, RoLAC, Ajibola Ijimakinwa, said that the body has partnered with the State’s Ministry of Justice to sensitize stakeholders, judges, magistrates, prosecutors and law enforcement officers to ensure the realization of the system in the State.
Ilimakinwa noted that Lagos is a pace-setter in the realization of the administration of criminal justice, hence, lauding the state government on its interest in reaching the feat.
She advised other states to also put in efforts to emulate the giant strides by the Lagos State Government in ensuring that Restorative Justice is practiced in all states in Nigeria.
