Governance & Public Sector · In force

Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015

Overhauled federal criminal procedure into a single unified code emphasising speedy trials, plea bargaining and victims’ rights.

Signed
2015-05-13
Assented by
Jonathan →
Status
In force
01 Background

The ACJA 2015 merged the old Criminal Procedure Act and Criminal Procedure Code into one federal code. It curbs unnecessary adjournments, bars stays of proceedings on interlocutory appeals, introduces plea bargaining and non-custodial sentencing, and mandates a central criminal-records registry and day-to-day trials.

02 Key provisions · 4
§ 01
Unifies federal criminal procedure
§ 02
Limits adjournments; bars stay on interlocutory appeals
§ 03
Plea bargaining and non-custodial sentencing
§ 04
Central criminal-records registry
03 What changed in practice
→
Sped up federal criminal trials
→
Model later adopted by many states (ACJL)
04 Who it affects
CourtsDefendantsProsecutorsVictims
Official source
LawPavilion
Primary regulator / sponsoring institution ↗
Use this law on the site
Browse the full register
Cross-linked tool that operationalises this Act
05 What it repealed / replaced
More in Governance & Public Sector
Freedom of Information Act 2011
Gave every citizen the right to request information from public institutions — 7-day response window, civil/criminal penalty for refusal.
Public Procurement Act 2007
Established the Bureau of Public Procurement, mandated competitive bidding for federal contracts, created the Federal Tenders Board.
State Police Constitutional Amendment Bill 2026
Constitutional amendment (Sixth Alteration) to let each of the 36 states run its own police force alongside the federal police. The Senate passed it on 24 Jun 2026 and the House passed the harmonised executive version on 23 Jul 2026 (311 votes) after rescinding its earlier June text; it is now being finalised for transmission to the 36 state Houses of Assembly, two-thirds of which must ratify before presidential assent.
Nigeria Police Act 2020
First overhaul of Nigerian policing law since 1943 — modernised the Force's mandate, 4-year IGP tenure, community policing committees, statutory officer-welfare provisions.
Back to the register All Acts signed by Jonathan