ABUJA — The United States government has raised concerns over security and justice delivery in the country, citing cases of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions.
But the Presidency in a swift reaction last night, said the country’s judicial system was not only addressing concerns about lengthy pre-trial periods, alongside other issues, but that the Federal Government is also stabilising the naira and re-calibrating the economy generally.
However, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2024, released by the Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, the US also identified lengthy pre-trial detention and delays as major challenges facing justice delivery in Nigeria.
The report also said the new minimum wage of N70,000 had been undermined by the continued depreciation of the naira.
While quoting Amnesty International as saying the whereabouts of “dozens of young men detained at SARS Awkuzu,” a former police station in Anambra State, remains unknown since disbandment of SARS in 2020, the report stated: “Police and other security services had the authority to arrest individuals without a warrant if officials reasonably suspected a person committed a crime. Security forces sometimes abused this authority.
“The law required subjects be brought before a magistrate within 48 hours and have access to lawyers and family members.
“According to the law, initial pre-trial detention orders were not to exceed 14 days. In some instances, government and security employees did not adhere to this regulation.
The report noted further that bail provisions were often arbitrary, with suspects kept incommunicado and sometimes incarcerated indefinitely in investigative detention.
“In their prosecution of corruption cases, law enforcement and intelligence agencies did not always follow due process, arresting suspects without appropriate arrest and search warrants,” the report stated.
On the judiciary, the US identified lengthy pre-trial detention and delays as major challenges, saying
