By George Ozalla
The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu, has identified conflict of roles and uncertainty of mandate as significant challenges hindering due process in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. Speaking at a one-day program in Abuja organized by the CLEEN Foundation in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force, Argungu stressed the need for defined roles for security agencies to prevent ambiguous and conflicting mandates.
DIG Argungu highlighted several drawbacks in the implementation of the Administration of Criminal Justice Regime, including lack of funds, globalization and computerization, intra/inter service conflict, unnecessary competition, and petty jealousy, lack of coordination and collaboration, ignorance of roles and functions, and politicization of crime and security issues.
To address these challenges, Argungu recommended a review of current passive justice systems, workshops on mutual legal assistance, coordination among democratic institutions, and collaboration with the National Human Rights Commission.
By implementing these recommendations, Argungu believes Nigeria’s criminal justice system can become more efficient and effective in addressing the complexities of modern crime and security challenges.
