The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, said Thursday that the criminal justice system in Nigeria is weak and sick.
Egbetokun, who stated this in Lagos at the 2024 Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria(CRAN) Annual Lecture/Award Ceremony, charged Nigerians to revive the system.
The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who represented the IGP, said people should stop blaming the police.
He said the police are not the only pillar or stakeholder in the criminal justice system in this country, saying, “We have challenges; we accept, but we will try our best to make sure we have a better system.”
According to Adejobi, “All of us must come together to help perfect criminal justice or justice system administration in Nigeria.”
“The government has made the ACJA 2015 and other laws, but the problem we always face is that we always confuse ourselves and are full of sentiment,” he added.
“Cyber crime has been there since 2015. The provision is there that if you say certain things online, it is an offence. Nigerians must know that an offence has been committed.”
On the #EndBadGovernance, Adejobi urged lawyers to stop confusing Nigerians on the issue of the arrested minors, saying there is a difference between a protester and a criminal.
He said anyone who is more than 7 years old can be charged in court and be prosecuted for committing a crime. “Thank God the President gave them a pardon. We would have continued with the case”, Adejobi added.
