A major highlight of the inaugural speech of Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu is to make ‘Lagos Greater’. In order to actually actualize this vision, Mr. Governor devised Project T.H.E.M.E.S, an acronym for his administration’s six strategic development agenda namely, Traffic Management and Transportation, Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance.
An integral part of the THEMES agenda is upholding of Law and Order which is captured under Security and Governance, the last leg of the THEMES’ pillar.
A democracy consists of three vital organs of government namely; the executive, legislature and the judiciary. The legislative arm formulates policy and enacts it as law, the executive carries out policy in action while the judiciary applies the law according to rules of procedural justice and resolves disputes.
To guarantee freedom, which is the hallmark of democracy, these three arms must be separated as much as possible and balanced against each other. For a successful democracy, the existence of a free and fair judiciary is a must.
It is in view of the significance of the judiciary in a democracy that the Sanwo-Olu administration is evolving critical reforms geared at oiling the wheel of justice in the state. The objective is to ensure that the justice sector continues to experience the implementation of programmes aimed at giving the people greater access to justice through dynamic law reforms and adherence to the Rule of Law.
An essential part of the plan is to clamp down on criminals, land grabbers and other trouble makers to reduce crime and all forms of security threat to the barest minimum. The Sanwo-Olu administration has zero tolerance for criminals, and it is poised to ensure that the poor and downtrodden in the society have access to justice through our agencies.
An EXCO Sub- Committee on Road Traffic and Law and Order was inaugurated to look into the expansion and functionality of the Mobile Courts in order to seek ways of reducing 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.
To demonstrate the seriousness and commitment of the administration towards Law and Order, the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) personally prosecuted traffic offenders at the Mobile Court in October last year.
In the last few months, the focus has basically been to foster speedy and time effective justice delivery equally amongst all persons in the state. This is in recognition of the fact that this can only be achieved mostly through institutional and policy strategies.
The Lagos State Special Taskforce on Land Grabbers, popularly known as ‘Omo Onile Taskforce’, with a mandate to rid the State of land grabbers, has continued to receive petitions and several criminal prosecution cases against suspected land grabbers currently ongoing in different Courts.
The operation of the Taskforce received a major boost when 19 alleged land grabbers were arrested on the 13th November 2019, in Kosofe Local Government and trial is still on-going at the Magistrate Court.
Presently, there are over 35 Land Grabbing cases in Court, wherein land grabbers are being prosecuted and it is hoped that justice would be served without hindrance to serve as a deterrent to other land grabbers.
Recent Statistics shows that there is an appreciable increase in the number of citizens who patronize the Taskforce for resolution of land grabbing cases. This is due in part to the intensity of publicity and awareness campaign as well as testimonies of people who have had their cases resolved through the Taskforce. Towards the end of last year, the Lagos State Ministry of Justice intervened in respect of an encroachment on the land of an elderly couple at Ejigbo, whose video went viral on social media. The couple was invited to this Office and the police are investigating into the alleged criminal activities of the individuals named.
In the area of access to justice, in the last five months, the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) has handled 1,636 cases, 600 petitions out of which 245 have been concluded. Equally, 141 judgments were obtained while over 30 children were rescued and a total compensation of N8, 103,567.09 was received on behalf of clients by the OPD.
Kayode Oyekanmi is Deputy Director, Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Alausa Ikeja