President Tinubu sends revised law enforcement legislation to House of Representatives

President Bola Tinubu has submitted a bill to the House of Representatives that aims to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and introduce significant reforms to Nigeria's criminal justice system, including eliminating the trial-within-trial procedure in criminal cases.

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The proposed Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, 2026, also includes provisions for establishing a national Sex Offenders Register, creating a Witness Support Fund, enhancing judicial case management, and expanding the powers of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council.

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In a letter to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Wednesday, President Tinubu stated that the proposed legislation is designed to address the legal, procedural, and institutional deficiencies that have hindered the effective implementation of the existing law over the past decade.

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President Tinubu expressed his pleasure in transmitting the bill to the House of Representatives, stating that its overall objective is to provide for the administration of criminal justice in federal courts and establish the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.

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The President noted that the legislation aims to ensure that Nigeria's criminal justice system promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of suspects, defendants, and victims.

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One of the most significant reforms in the proposed law is the abolition of trial-within-trial proceedings, which will be replaced by a process where prosecutors establish the voluntariness of confessional statements, allowing them to be provisionally admitted during trial, with objections determined at the point of judgment.

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This proposal seeks to reduce delays in criminal trials, particularly in high-profile corruption and terrorism cases where trial-within-trial proceedings can last several months.

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The bill also proposes the establishment of a Sex Offenders Register, to be maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, which will include provisions for registering and publishing the particulars of convicted sex offenders and mandatory transmission of information by prosecuting and law enforcement agencies.

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Additionally, the bill seeks to establish a Witness Support Fund to guarantee the prompt payment of witness expenses by the Attorney-General of the Federation and other prosecuting agencies.

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Other reforms include the introduction of a Plea Form to facilitate arraignment and reduce delays, empowering courts to determine no-case submissions within 21 days, encouraging written witness depositions, and requiring objections raised after plea to be determined alongside substantive issues at judgment.

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The legislation also proposes measures to strengthen judicial case management, including concise presentation of evidence and streamlining criminal proceedings before magistrates' courts through the filing of witness statements and exhibits alongside criminal charges.

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President Tinubu also seeks to strengthen the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council by establishing a governing board comprising representatives of the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, prosecuting authorities, correctional institutions, the Nigerian Bar Association, and civil society organisations.

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The proposed law empowers the President to appoint the Executive Secretary of the Council on the recommendation of the Attorney-General of the Federation and authorises the Attorney-General to make regulations for the effective implementation of the Act.

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The bill introduces modern procedural concepts, such as case management and plea forms, and makes transitional provisions to eliminate fresh trials arising from the death, retirement, or transfer of judges.

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President Tinubu explained that the repeal of the 2015 Act is necessary due to persistent delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology, weak coordination among criminal justice institutions, ineffective case management mechanisms, and poor monitoring of compliance with the law.

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The President noted that the bill has addressed these challenges and reflected developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations, and international best practices relating to criminal justice reform.

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According to President Tinubu, the proposed legislation was reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative drafting.

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The President expressed his hope that the House of Representatives will consider the bill expeditiously.

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The Administration of Criminal Justice Act, signed into law by the late President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015, was widely regarded as Nigeria's most ambitious criminal justice reform legislation, aiming to accelerate criminal trials, curb unnecessary adjournments, protect the rights of suspects and victims, and improve coordination among criminal justice institutions.

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Despite the reforms introduced by the Act, legal practitioners, prosecutors, and judicial officers have raised concerns over implementation gaps, prolonged criminal trials, inadequate use of technology, and procedural bottlenecks that continue to slow the administration of justice.

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If passed by the National Assembly, the proposed Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026, would become the most comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria's federal criminal procedure law since the enactment of the ACJA more than a decade ago.