In a deliberate effort to ensure effective implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act in the country, the Federal Government, on Monday, launched a Court Duty Solicitor Scheme (CDSS), under the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Speaking during the launch, the Executive Secretary of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee (ACJMC), Mr Sulayman Dawodu, said the scheme will ensure speedy trials, decongestion of detention facilities in the country as well as reducing the dockets of the courts.
Dawodu said his committee started with the Police Station Duty Solicitor Scheme (PDSS) in January this year in about 16 Police Divisions in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by, “Placing lawyers in Police stations to render legal services to indigents and those who don’t have legal representatives to go through their interviews, secure bails and to ensure their welfare and protection of their rights.”
The ACJMC boss said the committee is concerned about suspects that are charged to court, with no lawyers to represent them.
“We were concerned and wanted to fill in that gap to ensure that, those charged to court also have legal representation at their first appearance. We believe, that will obliterate the necessity of remanding in custody of people who are not able to get bail, to have someone with a legal voice to speak for them and apply for their bail,” he added.
The scheme, Dawodu said will help suspects on how to plead at arraignment and will help those that pleaded guilty during sentencing by the court, explaining, however, Court Duty lawyers will not be involved in full-blown trials of suspects.
He pointed out that the Court duty lawyers are qualified, well trained and are also carefully selected, to show that they are passionate about what they are doing and ready to abide by the ACJMC code of conduct and the rules of professional conduct.
A lawyer, Uche Christian Nwora, who is involved in the scheme told journalists that himself, along with other lawyers had handled close to 50 cases, securing bail for suspects charged to court.
He explained that some people are brought to the Magistrate or Upper Area courts confused by either the ICPC or the EFCC and, “When we got to know of it, we moved in there to represent them in filing application for their bail and sometimes, negotiate for their administrative bail with the authorities on behalf of the suspects who are not represented by a lawyer.”
Highlights of the events include the unveiling of the ACJMC bi-monthly newsletter and goodwill messages from representatives of the Chief Judge of FCT, Justice Hussaini Baba-Yusuf and the Director General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Barrister Aliyu Bagudu Abubakar.
