PRAWA holds a one-day Stakeholders’ conference on Thursday 3^rd April 2014, at Grand Ibro Hotel Annex, Wuse, Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria to disseminate results of application of guidance materials on investigation and prosecution.

The conference brought together stakeholders from various criminal justice agencies in the FCT as follows: FCT Judiciary which was represented by five Hon. Judges of the FCT High Court and  Magistrates; National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons and Other Related Matters (NAPTIP), Nigeria Police Force, Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Ministry of Justice, Nigerian Prisons Service, National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA)

The aim of the conference was to highlight/demonstrate the good results achieved through the project on “Enhancing Diligent and High Quality Prosecution” which is one of the six projects being implemented under the Speeding up Criminal Justice project. In the course of the project, guidance materials on investigation and prosecution were developed with contributions from various stakeholders in the criminal justice system in the FCT to aid the investigation and prosecution processes. The purpose of the demonstration/dissemination of the achievements of the project is to encourage adoption/replication, by other agencies, of the guidelines, processes and systems.

At the conference, the Legal Aid Council noted that with the support of PRAWA/J4A under the project, by providing financial support for the transportation of lawyers to court, the number of cases being taken up by the Legal Aid Council has increased from 300 cases to about 500 cases.

Participants highlighted the importance of creating a good synergy with prosecutors and investigators in the course of work to ensure good quality investigation and prosecution. Collaboration was also highly encouraged amongst criminal justice institutions to help achieve the desired goal in the justice sector.

Many of the institutions who participated in the various trainings conducted for investigators and prosecutors under the project noted that their effectiveness and efficiency in the course of work has greatly improved due to skills acquired from the trainings. They also noted their level of confidence in handling cases has also been boosted as a result of the training. At the end, investigators and prosecutors were encouraged to go back to their various institutions and ensure that they go the extra mile when conducting investigations and prosecutions. Investigators were enjoined to ensure they do a robust work in gathering sufficient evidence before arrests are made in any criminal case. Prosecution and investigation managers were also encouraged to put in place appropriate reporting systems to be able to monitor what is going on in any matter being handled by their subordinates, and hold people accountable where necessary.