He also noted that Federal High Court judges have powers to inspect other detention facilities within their jurisdictions to ensure suspects are not held beyond constitutionally permitted periods.
Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to take urgent steps to curb what he described as illegal arrests and prolonged detention of citizens by the police and other law enforcement agencies.
Falana, in a statement issued on Sunday, urged the NBA leadership, headed by Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okusanya, to ensure that lawyers attached to the association’s Human Rights Committees accompany magistrates during their mandatory monthly inspections of police stations.
He noted that the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Nigeria Police Force Establishment Act 2020 empower Chief Magistrates to visit police stations, inspect arrest records, order the release or arraignment of suspects and grant bail where appropriate.
“Chief Magistrates are mandated to conduct monthly visits to all police stations in all magisterial districts in Nigeria,” Falana said.
