Timothy Omobude 
The Edo state chief judge, Justice Daniel Iyobosa Okungbowa, has tasked stakeholders in the justice sector reform to ensure humane treatment of remand suspects and convicted persons.
Justice Okungbowa said every society is built on the rule of law and noted, “Where law is obligated in some ways, it will lead to anarchy, chaos and resuscitation of the Hobbesian state of nature where man becomes a beast to his fellow man.”
He also called for deepened forensics and technology templates in the criminal justice system, adding, “We cannot afford to lag behind because jurisprudence is now approached in a multidisciplinary manner.”
The CJ stated this Thursday at a Town Hall meeting on Justice Sector Reform organised by CLEEN Foundation, with support from MacArthur Foundation.
Other stakeholders at the meeting included representatives from anti-graft agency, police, correctional services, civil society organisations, lawyers, immigration, journalists among others.
Justice Okungbowa who was represented at the event by Justice Anthony N. Erhabor, commended the organisers for their efforts in Edo state justice sector process “especially as criminal jurisprudence cannot be over emphasised.”
He noted: “These interactive sessions, workshops, seminars will go a long way to sharpen our intellectual perspicacity and further fortify our perspective on the constitutional imperative of the presumption of innocence.”
Earlier, the acting executive director of CLEEN FOUNDATION, Mr. Peter Maduoma, called for deeper institutional strengthening, broader stakeholder coordination, and long-term commitment to sustaining reforms in the Administration of Criminal Justice Act/ Law.
The executive director, whose address was read by the program advisor of the foundation, Blessing Abiri, stated this at the Institutional Strengthening & Sustainability Engagement on the ACJA/L regime.
Maduoma said ACJA/L stakeholder’s efforts have yielded successes in advocacy, capacity building, policy reforms, and multi-stakeholder engagements.
He added that the meeting was designed to equip civil society organisations, legal professionals, law enforcement agencies and other critical actors with the tools, knowledge, and collaborative frameworks necessary to drive continuous reform efforts.
