After much deliberation, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has signed the ‘Administration of Criminal Justice Law (2021)’ which prohibits the media parade of suspects of any crime.
The law also protects the rights of any person that comes in contact with the justice system in Lagos State.
Governor 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.
According to Moyosore Onigbanjo, the Attorney-General of Lagos State, the bill was signed into law on September 30, that is, 14 years after it was introduced by the assembly in 2007 and amended in 2011.
READ ALSO: Introduction Of New Drug Brings Hope To Sickle Cell Carriers
WHAT THIS MEANS:
- 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.
- Court proceedings will be conducted on video and audio conferencing platforms, and the chief magistrate will be allowed to visit police stations.
- The law will address the 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 the investigation, Ms Ojukwu made a volte-face (a change in position) on her involvement in the murder of the late Super TV chief executive’s death in an apartment in Lekki, Lagos.
In the same vein, alleged kidnapper, Evans Chukwudimeme, was paraded before the police in Lagos conducted an investigation on his alleged criminal operations.
