Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has cautioned judges against remanding minor offenders with hardened criminals in a bid to reduce the number of awaiting trial inmates in Nigerian correctional centres.
Fagbemi who made the call in Abuja on Monday, in an address during the opening session of a two-day workshop on the implementation of the Non-Custodial Measures and Sentencing Guidelines under the ACJA, 2015, also called for the implementation of non-custodial measures and sentencing guidelines.
The AGF reasoned that remanding minor offenders with hardened criminals could lead them to end up being initiated into a life of crime instead of being reformed.
