Nigeria and Italy have reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening criminal justice and the rule of law in combating terrorism across the globe.
This commitment was demonstrated when the two countries co-chaired the seventh Plenary Meeting of the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s Criminal Justice and Rule of Law Working Group in St Julian’s, Malta.
This is contained in a statement from the Office of the National Security Adviser on Friday in Abuja.
The Coordinator, National Counterterrorism Centre, retired Rear Adm. Yaminu Musa, said the administration of criminal justice terrorism-related cases could neither be efficient nor effective if the rights of those concerned were not protected.
Musa, who represented Nigeria at the event, said the effect of lack of protection for witnesses had resulted in the striking out of cases by the courts involving heinous crimes because witnesses often refuse to testify due to the absence of a system designed to cater to their protection.
He said that Nigeria had on May 23, 2022, signed the Witness Protection and Management Act into law to address that challenge.
Musa said the meeting, which was the first under the new working group co-chairs, focused on the presentation of priority areas highlighted in the group’s work plan for the period of 2022-2024
