The Kano State House of Assembly says it is ready to amend the state administration of criminal justice law to prevent suspects from being prosecuted and sentenced from alleged confessional statements.
Consequently, the Assembly’s Committee on Judiciary said it had scheduled public hearing for Jan. 16, on the proposed amendment of Kano State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2017.
The Chairman of the Committee and member representing Tudun Wada constituency, Alhaji Abdullahi Yaryasa, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Kano.
Yaryasa said that the public hearing would avail stakeholders the opportunity to air their views on the law which has direct impact on the general public.
“The Administration of Criminal Justice Act which was ordered to be domesticated by all states of the federation, which if adopted, may not accommodate our religious and cultural background.
“Hence, the state government has adopted an approach of amending the existing Criminal procedure, consolidating it with the relevant provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice.
“The amendment of the law is aimed at having the best legislation on criminal justice in the country”, the committee Chairman said.
According to Yaryasa, the decision to amend the existing law is to accommodate both the conventional and Shariah laws.
Yaryasa explained that one area of the law to be considered “is that confessional statement will no longer be acceptable evidence unless it is made in the presence of the legal counsel of the accused or recorded in a video while it is being obtained.
“Another area to be looked at is plea bargain and abridged time upon which criminal investigations and trial are to be concluded.’’
The committee chairman further stated that options to imprisonment had also been provided in the Bill to include community service, suspended sentence and parole.
NAN
