The Ekiti State Ministry of Justice says it will adopt plea bargain as part of ongoing effort to decongest the Ado Ekiti Correctional Centre.
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Mr Olawale Fapounda, the State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, stated this in a statement issued on Thursday in Ado Ekiti and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said that the initiative was in accordance with the provisions of Sections 75 and 76 of Ekiti State Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2014.
The commissioner said that the process was in pursuant to the power conferred on him by Section 211 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as (amended) and Section 70 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ekiti State, 2014.
“I hereby invite interested legal practitioners representing defendants in criminal matters before the High Courts and Magistrates’ Court in Ekiti State to submit requests for plea bargain.
“The objective of this process is to enable the state and defendants awaiting trial agree on a frame work for speedy conclusion of trials.
“Information on the format and content of the Ministry of Justice plea bargain request can be obtained from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ministry of Justice – Phase 3 and the State Secretariat, Ado Ekiti.
“Deadline for submission of applications is Friday, May 31, 2020,’’ Fapounda said.