Lagos State Government on Tuesday said the first DNA Forensic Centre to be established in Nigeria by any State Government will become operational by the first quarter of 2017, expressing optimism that the centre will go a long way in bringing about seamless administration of justice.

Speaking at the maiden edition of annual Lagos Forensic Symposium, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Adeniji Kazeem, said meticulous processes were being put in place in partnership with international renowned experts in forensic science to ensure that the centre, upon completion, is compared to the best in the world.

Kazeem said the symposium, which was put together by the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and ITSI-Biosciences, Johnstown, PA, United States, was part of measures to sensitize key stakeholders in the justice administration system with the view to adequately prepare them for the new technology coming on board.

He recalled that since inception, the present administration under the leadership of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode had made law and order and security as one of the major focal points of his administration, especially with the procurement of multi billion naira equipment for the police and other security agencies.

While expressing excitement at the introduction of science and technology to the investigative and judicial process in the State, Kazeem said the development will energize the criminal justice system to fight all forms of criminality including sexual and gender based crimes, organized home burglaries, adding: “With DNA Forensics, each suspect can be put in a database and even if there is not enough evidence in the first or second case, a pattern would have been established and the person’s records are on file such that if they come up at another crime scene, it becomes much easier to get a conviction.”

Lead discussant at the symposium and President of ITSI-Biosciences, Dr Richard Somiari said the State would benefit a lot from the DNA centre, adding that with forensic capabilities, crimes would be resolved faster, and some many cases which hitherto could not be resolved would be addressed faster.

The Time has come for Nigeria to join the International Community’s efforts in applying advancements in forensic science to law enforcement, criminal investigations and National Security.

This is because forensic science is advancing in numerous directions and widely applied to solving crimes and criminality.

Giving the first paper on Understanding DNA, the Managing Partner of Guardian Forensic Science, Arthur Young said DNA technology could be applied in criminal investigations, law enforcement, mass fatalities, sexual assaults and others.

The symposium which had judges, Magistrates, Lawyers, Police, Investigators, Legislators, Forensic Scientists, Investigative Journalists, Emergency responders, Medical Practitioner and students as participants ends tomorrow.