A lawyer, Barrister Fola Awoyemi has called on the state government to employ private lawyers in the prosecution of cases.
Barrister Awoyemi made this call at the 5th Bi-monthly meeting of Oyo State Working Group on ACJA/ACJL held virtually on Friday evening.
According to him, the government does not necessarily have to pay these private lawyers because there are lot of lawyers who are ready to help in the prosecution of cases pro bono in a bid to boost their chances of becoming a Senior Advocate or for public interest.
Earlier in his opening remark at the meeting, the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association in Oyo State, Barrister Olayinka Esan described the meeting as an opportunity to educate lawyers and members of the public.
He called for the utilization of online meeting mediums to sensitize members of the Nigerian Bar Association in the state about the procedure of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) noting that the state chapter is ready to provide necessary support for the seminar.
In his own submission, one of the media representatives at the event, Mr. Oluwaseun Akinola noted that the media has a big role to play in the advocacy of the laws.
He also stated that it is important for lawyers to be ready to support the media in the creation of this advocacy noting that some legal practitioners are not always ready to come on air to educate the masses.
Another participant, Mr. Maroof Asundemmade emphasized that people at the grassroots must be sensitized to prevent police officers from taking advantage of their low level of literacy to malteat them.
Other participants at the meeting in their various submissions also called for an increase in the level of advocacy of the ACJA and ACJL to people in the grassroots.
The moderator, Barrister Kehinde Adegbite who is a partner of CLEEN foundation in the state, amplified the call by the participants noting that security can only be guaranteed when the criminal justice system is effective.
The meeting had in attendance lawyers, human rights activists, journalists among other stakeholders.
The Oyo State Working of the implementtion of the ACJA and ACJL laws was set up by CLEEN Foundation around March 2018 and was inaugurated in September 2018 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Justice, Secretariat Ibadan.
It is made up of players in the Criminal Justice Sector such as members of the NBA, Legal Aid Council, the Police, EFCC, ICPC, Ministry of Justice, NYSC, the Media, the Correctional Services, National Human Rights Commission, FIDA, and the Judiciary.
