Oversight Visit to Bwari Police Station

The legal required days for a person accused of a crime to stay in Police Detention without being charged to court or granted bail is 48 hours according to Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015.

But is this law being complied to by the Police Stations in the country and in particular the FCT. AWJAI on 18th June 2025, partnered with the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, ACJMC and the Citizens Gavel to conduct an oversight monitoring at the Bwari Police Station.

The visit led by Her Worship, Magistrate Chiemena Okonkwo was important to access the compliance of the station to the laws particularly the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA. She interviewed all the 14 detainees which included a minor individually and reviewed their cases while advising them to stay out of trouble.

Her Worship was concerned about the number of people held in detention and expressed worry that some of them had overstayed the required days stated by the law and made orders for them to be charged to court, given bail, taken to the State CID or released. She was particular about a minor who has been in detention with the adults for 10 days.

She reminded the officers to always uphold the law and not hold detainees for more than 48 hours without granting them bail or charging them to court as the case may be.