The Taraba State Judiciary, in partnership with Partners West Africa Nigeria, PWAN, has developed and formally adopted the 2025 Sentencing Guidelines and Practice Directions, aimed at strengthening justice delivery in the state.

The announcement was made on Saturday by the Chief Judge of Taraba State, Justice Joel Agya, during a one-day stakeholders’ workshop on the development of the new framework held in Jalingo.

Justice Agya described sentencing as one of the most sensitive and consequential aspects of judicial responsibility, noting that it represents the court’s final assessment of justice, balancing societal interest, deterrence, rehabilitation, and the rights of the accused.

He warned that, without evidence-based and context-appropriate guidelines, sentencing risks becoming inconsistent, unpredictable, and open to public misunderstanding.

“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 the Chief Judge, the new guidelines are designed to align sentencing with modern criminal justice principles, reflect the peculiarities of Taraba State, and complement ongoing reforms such as the revised Penal Code and Plea Bargain Guidelines.

Justice Agya expressed satisfaction with the broad representation at the workshop, including magistrates, judges, prosecutors, defence counsel, security agencies, and civil society organisations, which he said would help ensure the guidelines are comprehensive and practical.

He also commended PWAN and the MacArthur Foundation for their continued contributions to justice sector reform at both state and national levels.

Earlier, PWAN Programme Officer, Mrs Rebecca Balami, reiterated the organisation’s commitment to supporting justice reforms across the country. She said the objective was to promote transparency, accountability, fairness, and inclusion within the Administration of Criminal Justice Law, ACJL.

Balami urged stakeholders to give the project the attention it deserves to guarantee effective sentencing guidelines and practice directions for the state. She also assured that PWAN, with support from the MacArthur Foundation, would continue working with the judiciary to ensure efficient justice delivery.