Lagos State Government has inaugurated an advisory committee to review laws enabling police prosecutorial power.

The committee’s inauguration was in response to the clamour by non-governmental organizations and stakeholders to bar police prosecution of criminal matters at the state magistrate courts, in accordance with the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Acts (ACJA).

While inaugurating the seven-member advisory committee, Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbanjo, said government would announce its position on the matter after the recommendations of the committee, which would be made known to the general public.

The committee’s terms of reference include tracking the number of criminal cases filed at the magistrate courts in Lagos State within a given period, determining how many cases were successfully prosecuted and determining whether the Office of the Director of Public Prosecution can take over prosecution in the more than 150 magistrate courts in Lagos.

Onigbanjo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria said the committee’s members were carefully selected based on their wealth of experience in state criminal justice practice.

He assured non-governmental organisations and residents in the state that government’s final decisions would be based on fairness, and would be devoid of sentiments and bias.
The Attorney-General urged the advisory committee to look beyond Lagos State in their deliberations, and likewise consider the laws in Nigeria in order to give a balanced advice.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Advisory Committee, Fola Arthur-Worrey, commended Onigbanjo for the choice of the selected committee members.

Arthur-Worrey promised that the committee members would do their best to ensure they present to the state government rational recommendations within a month.

Solicitor-General, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, noted in her address that the recommendations of the Advisory committee would enhance the effective administration of justice in the state.
Apart from Arthur-Worrey, membership of the committee include the state Director of Public Prosecution, Yhaqub Oshoala; the officer in charge of the Legal department at the Criminal Investigation, Yaba, Lagos, Yetunde Cardoso; Norrison Quakers, Titilayo Shitta-Bey, Bayo Akinlade, Rukayat Owolabi and Arinola Momoh-Ayokanmbi, who is the Secretary.