The Senate has passed the Witness Protection Programme Establishment Bill, 2017 that seeks to create and operate a programme that protects witnesses in certain investigations, enquiries or prosecutions.
Presenting the Report at the plenary session of Thursday, 8 June 2017, Chairman of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Sen. David Umaru (APC: Niger) informed the Senate that the Committee had agreed on the development of a legislative framework that allowed for the conduct of a public hearing in order to avail the general public with an opportunity to make input on the merits, justifications and any other matter incidental to the proposed legislation.
According to Sen. Umaru, the objective of the Bill is to protect persons who provide vital information, evidence or render assistance to law enforcement agencies duringinvestigations, enquiries or prosecutions. He noted that the Witness Protection Programme is a universally accepted concept for the protection of witnesses who are willing to provide facts or data for the purpose of enhancing the justice system and whose lives are threatened.
In addition, he stated that the Committee had taken into consideration the contributions of Senators during the deliberations on the Bill and submissions from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs),Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) such as the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), and other relevant stakeholders, from which it observed that:
- All stakeholders who had made submissions and presentations at the Committee’s public hearing had supported the passage of the Bill;
- The Bill if enacted will address major lacunae in the justice system as there are no extant laws in place which specifically addresses the objectives of the Bill;
- The Witness Protection Programme is aimed at unraveling organized crimes and activities with the assistance of persons who are willing to volunteer information and evidence;
- The passage of the Bill will provide an enabling environment that promotes the administration of criminal justice and promote the fight against corruption; and
- The legislation would restore citizen’s confidence in the justice system.
Lastly, he mentioned that the Committee had amended the Long Title and Seven out of Seventeen Clauses in the Bill and recommended the Senate’s approval.
Click here to view the amendments and the full report of the Committee.
