Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has signed the Lagos ‘Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2021)’ that prohibits the media parade of suspects and protects the rights of any person that comes in contact with the justice system in the state.
Mr Sanwo-Olu assented to the law after it was unanimously passed by the State House of Assembly on July 5 and then transmitted into the governor’s office for authorisation.
The state attorney general, Moyosore Onigbanjo, said the bill was signed into law on September 30, 14 years after it was introduced by the assembly in 2007 and amended in 2011.
Mr Onigbanjo said the law will promote the rights of victims and suspects as well as address the issue of delay in the administration of criminal justice in the state.
Under the signed law court proceedings will be conducted on video and audio conferencing platforms, and the chief magistrate will be allowed to visit police stations.
Other issues the law will address are prohibition of media parade of suspects, compensation to victims of crime as well as protective measures for victims and witnesses.
The signed law also provides for the establishment of a crime data register and the criminal justice sector reform committee to monitor its implementation.
The bill was signed into law months after Chidinma Ojukwu was paraded before the media by the police command in Lagos for the death of Usifo Ataga.
During investigation Ms Ojukwu made a volte-face on her involvement in the murder of the late Super TV chief executive’s death in an apartment in Lekki, Lagos.
Similarly, alleged kidnapper Evans Chukwudimeme was paraded before the police in Lagos conducted an investigation on his alleged criminal operations.
