The Taraba State Judiciary has officially adopted the 2025 Sentencing Guidelines and Practice Directions, a new framework developed in partnership with Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN) to enhance justice delivery and promote fairness across the state’s judicial processes.
The announcement was made on Saturday by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, during a one-day stakeholders’ workshop held in Jalingo.
Justice Agya described sentencing as “one of the most sensitive and consequential aspects of judicial responsibility,” noting that it represents a court’s final judgment incorporating societal interest, deterrence, rehabilitation and the rights of the accused.
He warned that without evidence-based and context-appropriate guidelines, sentencing decisions risk becoming inconsistent, unpredictable and vulnerable to public criticism.
“Our aim is to produce a framework that will promote consistency and fairness in sentencing, strengthen transparency and public confidence in the judiciary, and provide judicial officers with clear benchmarks and discretion-support tools,” he said.
According to him, the newly adopted guidelines are aligned with modern criminal justice standards, tailored to Taraba’s social and security realities, and designed to complement ongoing reforms such as the revised Penal Code and the newly developed Plea Bargain Guidelines.
Justice Agya expressed satisfaction with the wide representation at the workshop, which included judges, magistrates, prosecutors, defence lawyers, security agencies and civil society organisations. He said the diversity would help ensure that the guidelines are comprehensive, balanced and implementable.
He also commended PWAN and the MacArthur Foundation for their continuous support to judicial reforms both in Taraba and across the country.
Earlier, PWAN Programme Officer, Mrs. Rebecca Balami, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to strengthening justice sector reforms nationwide. She said PWAN’s objective is to promote transparency, accountability, fairness and inclusion within the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL).
Balami urged all stakeholders to give maximum attention to the project to ensure the successful rollout of effective sentencing guidelines in the state. She further assured that PWAN, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, would continue collaborating with the judiciary to advance efficient and accessible justice delivery in Taraba State.
