A total of 26 prosecutors in the Department of Public Prosecutions’ have been trained under a J4A/DFID Funded project managed by PRAWA. The prosecutors were trained on factors that impede and speed up prosecution, based on the Prosecutors Handbook, developed by Barr Ikeazor Akariwe.

This activity is one of the deliverables under the CIP 4.2 Project 2, “Speeding up Prosecution” in the J4A/DFID Funded Programme; “Speeding up Criminal Justice for Awaiting Trail Persons. The prosecutors were trained in batches, consisting of 3 courses, for a period of 6 days from the 15th to the 23rd of July, 2013. The training was conducted by the consultant, Barr Akariwe and his personal Assistant, Barr Ngozi Iwelu, with support from Barr. Chioma Emehelu, PRAWA Consultant.

The training sessions were interactive and also included presentations and practical exercises which ensured clear understanding on the part of the prosecutors. Barr. Akariwe stressed on the need for the prosecutors to be good at their jobs, bearing in mind that accused persons are human beings and are also casualties of delayed justice.

He stated that there are possibilities of wrongfully detaining an accused person without compensation by the state. He also stressed that prosecutors are very important to the society and hold the power of liberty. He urged them to be diligent in the discharge of their duties. He stated that delay undermines the efficacy of the punishment. He also went a step further, to stress on the importance of witnesses in the course of trial while encouraging the prosecutors to be empathic and to always keep in touch with their witnesses, this way, the witnesses have faith in the judicial system. He advised that prosecutors should engage in reflective thinking while drafting their legal opinions.

During the course of the training, some issues were raised by the prosecutors. Some of these issues include the fact that they are at risk as they are in very sensitive positions. They complained bitterly about the non-attendance of witnesses to court especially Investigating Police Officers and also, the fact that they fund witnesses, including the IPOs and the little time given by Judges to cross-examine their witnesses which affects the success of their cases.

In an attempt to proffer solutions to some of the challenges raised, the prosecutors will now report to the Attorney General through the Department of Public Prosecutions when they experience difficulties in the course of prosecution, particularly the non-attendance of some IPOs to court. The Honorable Attorney General will in turn, take the matter up with the Commissioner of Police.

The training was reasonably successful though the turn out could have been better. However, from the interactive sessions, it was noted that knowledge was imparted.