‘Terrorists, kidnappers use technology to evade justice’

EKITI State Deputy Governor, Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi, yesterday, advised security agencies to consider the application of modern and cutting edge technology in crime prevention and detection.
He said the appeal became necessary as recent event has shown that kidnappers, terrorists and other criminals now use technology to perpetrate their nefarious activities and avoid justice. The Deputy Governor made the remarks while declaring open a two-day workshop for prosecutors and defence lawyers drawn from Ekiti, Ondo and Osun States on Administration of Criminal Justice Act, ACJA, 2015 in Ado-Ekiti. In a statement by his Special Assistant (Media), Odunayo Ogunmola, the Deputy Governor stressed that the justice sector needs urgent attention to match the challenges arising from advanced technology and the changes in the society. He said: “Criminals are found to have become smarter with technology, there is an upsurge in terrorism and crimes hitherto unimagined, like the senseless and brutal kidnapping of Nigerians, defilement of children less than three years were crimes never envisaged in the past.” The Deputy Governor maintained that the Criminal Justice System must uphold the principles of liberty, equality and justice for all with the sole aim of having a secured society devoid of fear and reprisals. Egbeyemi that the purpose of ACJA 2015 was to ensure that Criminal Justice Institutions are efficiently managed for speedy dispensation of justice to ensure the reign of justice and protection of the society from crime. Earlier in his remarks, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Olawale Fapohunda, expressed the commitment of the Ministry of Justice in Ekiti State to achieving sustainable reforms in the legal system of the State. Fapohunda, who was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Babatope Ojo, explained that the ministry has taken drastic steps to producing a justice system that is efficient, professional and accountable.