When Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr Adeniji Kazeem (SAN) met with Legal Editors and Correspondents, he spoke on several issues, including the ministry’s achievements since the inception of the Akinwunmi Ambode administration.
Taskforce on land grabbers
We were all witnesses to how the activities of land grabbers popularly known as ‘Omo Onile’ were almost completely stifling commercial activities in the state before we came on board. In order to reduce to the barest minimum the activities of those notorious persons, who use force and intimidation to dispossess or prevent any person or entity from acquiring legitimate interest and possession of property, we created the Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers popularly known as ‘Omo Onile Taskforce’ with a mandate to rid the state of land grabbers. The Task Force has continued to receive petitions and several criminal prosecution cases against suspected land grabbers are currently ongoing in different courts.
DNA Forensic Centre
The DNA Forensic Centre is another landmark achievement of this administration that is worthy of being mentioned. The Centre which was set up on the 3rd of May 2017 is of world-class standard and the first by any Government in Nigeria. Our ultimate aim for setting up the Centre was to create an enabling environment for proper investigation, prosecution of crimes, adjudication and the administration of Justice in the state.
Otedola Bridge disaster
We said we were going to prosecute the persons that caused that disaster. One of the challenges then was how to identify the perpetrators of that crime. We had said the driver and the owner needed to be identified.
There were all kinds of stories out there, including whether the driver had perished in the fire or not. The owners, as we understand, were traced by the police to Kano.
The whole idea was that at the end of the day, they would conclude their investigation and get us the file here in the ministry. Unfortunately, we can’t do the investigation ourselves, so that we can commence prosecution process.
Unfortunately, that process has not yet been concluded, or is not conclusive yet. Until we get that file, we cannot proceed with prosecution.
“I want to assure you that this Otedola Bridge disaster will not be swept under the carpet. Once we get the facts properly on investigations, we will commence the process of prosecuting the suspects in that matter.”
Ministry of Justice’s relationship with House of Assembly, Police, Prisons
Under my watch as Attorney-General, the justice sector in Lagos State has experienced the implementation of programmes aimed at giving the people of Lagos State greater access to justice through dynamic law reforms and adherence to the Rule of Law.
Owing to the cooperation and support received from State House of Assembly, the Judiciary, the Police, the Prison Services and other security operatives, we have been able to collectively ensure that our dear State is a safe and secure environment for all regardless of our different tribes, religious and political affiliations.
Fuel tankers/ articulated vehicles disregard of nighttime operations order
I recollect that that directive was given. It was enforced at some point in time, but the practicality began to dawn on the state government and that issue had to be reviewed. That review is still ongoing because it is not a straightforward issue; it has all kinds of implications, including security issues.
Creating awareness of Lagos laws
We recognised the importance of creating awareness of the laws that were being passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly, therefore, we created a web portal where all Laws & Regulations of Lagos State are available online. The dedicated web portal, http: laws.lagosstate.gov.ng is regularly updated with all new laws and regulations and has since the launch recorded an average of 100,000 user hits every month and over 10,000 downloads of the Laws of Lagos State.
Justice System Reforms in Lagos State
Under my watch as Attorney-General, the Ministry of Justice in January, 2017 organised a Stakeholders Summit with the theme: “The Contemporary Trends: Catalysts for Justice Sector Reform in Lagos State”, where stakeholders from the public and private sector critically brainstormed on the collective ways to review the existing system and to introduce contemporary reforms in the Justice System of Lagos State. The report on modalities to implement the proposed reforms has since been forwarded to the appropriate authorities, including the National Judicial Service Commission, Chief Judge of Nigeria (CJN), Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Chief Judge of Lagos State for input and contribution
Sexual Offences and Child Justice Unit
To create a viable system for monitoring the prosecution of sexual offences in the state, we established the Sexual Offences and Child Justice unit to ensure timely prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence cases at the newly designated Sexual Offences Court, High Court of Lagos State, Ikeja Judicial Division.
Mobile courts
Upon assumption of office as Attorney-General, my first major assignment was to work towards the expansion and functionality of the Mobile Court in conjunction with the Lagos State Judiciary. Through the successful running of the Mobile Court system, we have been able to reduce street trading, traffic congestion and unethical/anti-social conducts on the roads as well as environmental nuisances, thereby improving the socio-economic well-being of the residents of Lagos State.
Commissioning of new courts
In the course of our stewardship, the Court Buildings in Badagry-Olusola Thomas Combined Court Complex and Sikiru Adagun Combined Court Complex in Ajegunle were commissioned in 2017. We also commissioned a couple of new magistrate courts for environmental, road–traffic and allied offences in Oshodi to support the Mobile Courts Units, thereby ensuring effective and quick dispensation of justice in the metropolis
Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP)
In 2018, we designed and created an online platform for the Lagos Public Interest Law Partnership (LPILP) to give room for accessibility. Through the LPILP, we have facilitated easy access to Justice by firming out Pro Bono matters to private chambers and Legal Practitioners. The private chambers take up civil/criminal suits on behalf of LASG and defend/prosecute the said suits for the good of the public free of charge.
Rapid Tax Prosecution Unit
In line with the commitment of the Ministry of Justice to provide adequate support to the Lagos State Internal Revenue Service (LIRS) on its mission to ensure that tax payers comply with tax laws and ensure full tax compliance through prosecution of defaulters, we set up the Rapid Tax Prosecution Unit. This enforcement procedure has ensured some level of compliance with tax defaulters approaching LIRS to offset their outstanding tax liabilities.
E-Real Estate Litigation Database
To enhance due diligence in property transactions in the state, in 2017 we launched the E-Real Estate Litigation Database to provide ease of access to information to anyone who wants to deal in a property with information primarily on whether the property is a subject of litigation. Since its launch on 30 January 2018, the portal has recorded over 1,000,000 hits and over 10,000 “unique” or consistent users from Nigeria, United States, United Kingdom, South Africa and others.
Plea Bargain Protocol
The introduction and utilisation of the Plea Bargain Protocol has reduced the time spent on criminal cases towards achieving Prison and Court decongestion. We launched the Plea Bargain Protocol in 2017 with a view to drive quick and effective resolution of criminal cases and in turn decongest the prisons and court dockets.
Restorative justice for prison decongestion
As part of efforts to overcome Prison congestion and ensuring accelerated hearing for minor offences, we facilitated collaboration between the Ministry of Justice and Prison Fellowship to explore the adoption of restorative justice measures as part of sentencing options for designated relevant offences. The initiative, which is expected to eliminate the excessive use of prison sentences for minor offences, is to embark on a pilot scheme to assess the feasibility of Restorative Justice Options rather than imprisonment.
Lagos Criminal Information System
The Lagos Criminal Information System also known as Criminal Case Tracking System was initiated in 2018 by this administration. It is a crime data register, which serves as a repository of biometric data of persons that have been in contact with the Criminal Justice System. Till date, more than 8,000 have been captured in the LCIS database in the Prison, Police and within the Criminal Justice Administration sector and this include their personal, physical and bio-metric details.
Sentencing guidelines
Working towards building a ‘citizen-centric’ criminal justice system for the purpose of ensuring efficient and effective justice delivery, we published and distributed the sentencing guidelines to ensure uniformity of punishments imposed on convicts by all the judges and magistrates handling criminal cases in the state.
14 Bills passed
In bringing into effect major policy thrusts of the state government to the people of Lagos State, 14 Bills were passed into law while 12 are currently undergoing drafting process under my watch as Attorney-General.
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