Nigeria calls for ICT as a tool to combat crime

Justice Hassan Gummi has called for Nigeria to embrace Information and Communication Technology for efficient and expeditious delivery of justice in the country.

“Especially now that it is possible to sit anywhere in the country and coordinate crime in any other state of Nigeria, there is need to embrace the Internet as a tool for a more expeditious justice delivery”, he said.

The Nigerian chief justice was speaking at the G-6 Joint Security Stakeholders Summit on expediting the trial of criminal suspects held in Abuja.

The meeting was also attended by the minister of the capital territory, Senator Muhammad Adamu Aliero.

“There should be an increased internet use and inter-connectivity between the various agencies. Have we considered for once how our criminal justice administration will be given a boost if, for instance, the office of the Attorney-General can have access to all data relating to the activities of the various agencies by one push of the button?”, he persuaded the audience.

He charged the participants to consider the provision and maintenance of a computerized filing system of accurate and timely documented criminal justice information.

“The information in this system would include details on wanted persons, criminal history information, missing persons information, information compiled in the process of investigating crimes, including information on identifiable individuals compiled in an effort to anticipate, prevent or monitor possible criminal activity.

“From this data bank there will be computerized criminal history, automated finger print identification system, incident-based crime reporting system, case information management system and DNA data bank.

“When we are able to develop a comprehensive criminal justice system in such a way that it will support multi state effort, data can easily be shared across systems for the benefit of these states and their agencies”, he said.

Gummi however stressed that the success for the data bank depends on qualified manpower.

“Without training the necessary manpower that will manage and maintain the required systems, our criminal justice system will still be in its present state if not in a worse state”, he ended.

By Okoro Chinedu
Lagos