News – Page 8 – Lagos State Ministry of Justice

Know Your Rights: LASG Counsel Pupils

Posted on October 25, 2022

Lagos State Government has called on school pupils in the State to ensure they know their rights as citizens and be ready to defend themselves when it’s been infringed upon. The Director of Directorate for Citizens Right, Ministry of Justice, Ms. Adetutu Oshinusi disclosed this recently at a sensitization program for students of the Ijegun community primary school. The sensitization campaign is in furtherance to the One Stop Child Justice Centre, an initiative of Lagos State Ministry of Justice to reduce the spate of child abuse in the State and ensure that minors are protected from abuse and abusers. Ms. Oshinusi stated that there is a solid framework for the fundamental human rights of the young pupils and they have enough protection against all forms of abuses in the Nigerian Constitution. “The One Stop Child Justice Centre’, handles all child-related matters which is in collaboration with other Departments, Agencies and Ministries such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, amongst others” “The Directorate of Citizens Right will continue to go the whole haul to protect the rights of children as provided under the Child Rights Law of Lagos State, 2015” “It is imperative that you all must be encouraged to report cases of abuses whether it has happened to you or someone you know.” The Director further reiterated that the sensitization program is about enlightening the pupils to know what thier rights are and this privilege will also be extended to other schools across the State. The Head Teacher Community Primary School 11, Mrs. Abosede Kowe, commended the Lagos State government for the program which is of great benefits to both students and teachers of the school while noting that the school will continue to enlighten its pupils on their rights as citizens of Lagos State.

MOJ Appoints Oluwafemi Adenike As Coordinator RJC

Posted on October 7, 2022

The Deputy Director, Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Mrs. Oluwafemi Adenike Olubunmi has been appointed as the Coordinator Restorative Justice Centre (RJC), Lagos State Ministry of Justice. A memo signed by the Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary Ms. Titilayo Shitta-bey on Tuesday, states that her appointment takes immediate effect.

Prerogative Of Mercy: Sanwo-Olu Approves Release Of 46 Inmates.

Posted on September 30, 2022

…Committal Of 6 Death Roll Inmates to Life Imprisonment. Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu on the recommendation of the Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy has approved the release of 46 inmates from various correctional facilities across the State and the commuttal of 6 inmates on death roll to life imprisonment. The Governor signed the release and commuttal orders on the 28th of September, 2022 in cognizance of the country’s 62nd Independence Day Celebration. The exercise is in pursuant to the provisions of Section 212 (1) (2) of the 1999 Constitution of The Federal Republic of Nigeria (amended). The Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy in reaching its recommendations exercised due diligence in its deliberation of the applications in line with the applicable guidelines. The Council took note of the information provided by the correctional authorities, the nature of offence, period of incarceration, age, health and behavioral conduct of the inmates. The approval for the release of the inmates is in line with the commitment of Mr. Governor to decongest correctional facilities in Lagos State as part of the Justice Sector Reforms.

Honourable Attorney General, Lagos State Begins Electronic Signing Of Title Documents

Posted on September 27, 2022

The Lagos State Government under the leadership of Mr Governor, Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu in a bid to foster ease of doing business in Lagos State has through the Lands Bureau sorted, merged, scanned, indexed and digitised the files used in processing title documents in the State. On Thursday, 22 September 2022, the first set of electronic title documents designed via Aumentum application and hosted on Electronic Geographical Information System (EGIS) Platform were signed by the Honourable Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN.

TurnAlausaPurple Campaign Awareness

Posted on September 19, 2022

The State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) today continued its #TurnAlausaPurple campaign awareness to the Ministry of Justice as part of the agency’s activities to commemorate the month long awareness campaign themed “IT’S ON US”. The Attorney General and Chairman Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) commended the Executive Secretary, DSVA, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi and her team for putting together the campaign all over the nooks and crannies of the State. Mr Onigbanjo stressed that the team “IT’S ON US” is apt based on the compelling need to ensure that residents of the State realize that eradicating the menace of Sexual and Gender based Violence is a collective effort from all and sundry and basically a collaboration of all members of the society .

Lagos Presents E-Laws Platform

Posted on September 14, 2022

In a bid to ensure quick dispensation of justice as well as easy access to justice the Lagos State Government through the State Ministry of Justice in partnership with LawPavilion business solutions, a technology solutions provider engaged in the business of publishing judicial authorities, cases and laws has announced the Lagos State E-laws platform. The E-laws of Lagos State is an electronic library of the laws and annotated law of the state. This is the first electronic collection of a state law in the country. In his welcome address at the presentation on Wednesday at the Ministry’s conference room, the Lagos State Attorney-general and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN noted that since the commencement of the present administration, the justice sector in Lagos State has experienced the implementation of programmes aimed at giving the people of Lagos greater access to justice through dynamic law reforms and adherence to the rule of law. Onigbanjo stated that the importance of creating awareness of the laws passed by the Lagos State House of Assembly cannot be over emphasised hence the partnership between the Ministry of Justice and LawPavilion to publish the laws of the state in electronic format for easy access. “The State in its bid for continued effective and efficient administration of justice, through the Law Reform Commission, an agency of Government charged with the responsibility of publishing the laws of Lagos state and other state legislations in electronic and print copies enters into an agreement with LawPavilion Business Solutions” The agreement according to the attorney general is for annotation of the laws of Lagos State and conversion of the laws on agreed texts and format for publication on the LawPavilion electronic platform. The attorney general noted that one of the advantages of the initiative is that the e-publishing of the laws will provide ease of doing business as investors and other interested persons will now have access to all the laws to Lagos State at a glance while reducing the difficulties that are often associated with physical purchase of law and the wear and tear associated with the hard copies. “This means that the annotated laws of Lagos State are available to the public and particularly to lawyers all over the world, I therefore welcome you to a world of easy access to the robust laws of Lagos State”. The Solicitor General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mrs. Titilayo Shitta-Bey in her address thanked the Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for his support towards easy access to justice and quick dispensation of justice. She noted this couldn’t have been achieved without the support of Mr. Governor while thanking the law reform commission for a thorough job while noting that the E-law of Lagos State will in no small measure bring the administration of Justice in Lagos State in line with international best practices, which encourages technology as a major driver of legal initiatives. The Managing Director, LawPavillion, Mr. Ope Olugasa noted that it is an epoch-making event stating that it is the first of its kind by any state in Nigeria. He stated that the initiative is in line with the current reality of the new normal. Olugasa further noted that the E-law will make it easy for judges and legal practitioners to have access to the complete and updated law of Lagos State. He stated that those who want access to the laws have the option of either an outright purchase for a token of the entire laws or an annual subscription through the LawPavillion platform.

Lagos Introduces Compulsory Pre-Marital Preparatory Counseling for Intending Couples

Posted on August 30, 2022

The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency in collaboration with the Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs has introduced the Compulsory Effective Pre-marital Preparatory Counseling for intending couples. The three-day intensive interactive training workshop which was held between the 22nd- 24th of August, 2022 at Ostra Halls & Hotels, Ikeja, were facilitated by Personal and Family Life Experts; Mr. Praise Fowowe, Founder of The Institute of Family Engineering & Development Africa, Mr. Oladele Emmanuel Temilade, The Founder, Institute of Marriage Counselors of Nigeria and Dr. Tolu Oko-Ighaire, Provost, Institute of Counselling of Nigeria Relationship Expert. In attendance were a total of sixty-two Marriage Officials drawn from all twenty Local Government/LCDA’s in Lagos State. Delivering the keynote address, the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government and Community Affairs Mrs. Kikelomo Sanyaolu who was ably represented by Mrs. Oluwatoyin Adeniji, applauded the Agency for the brilliant move. She said that the initiative is timely, having observed the increasing cases of domestic violence in Lagos State and Nigeria as a whole. Conclusively, she pledged her continuous support for the Agency, in upholding the initiative. In her Welcome Address, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual violence Agency, Mrs. Titilola Vivour- Adeniyi disclosed that recent statistics from the Agency shows that at least 80% of clients that report matrimonial abuses had pre-existing knowledge of their partner’s anomalous behaviour but proceeded with the union ignoring red flags. The topics discussed were carefully selected from the developed eight-weeks intensive Pre-marital Effectiveness Counselling curriculum, to enhance the knowledge of marriage officials and to equip them to effectively administer pre-marital counselling to intending couples, which will help intending couples take an informed decision before saying ‘ I DO’. Mr. Praise Fowowe, a Family Engineer, enlightened the participants on Gender and Sex Roles, the concept of marriage and understanding love and love codes. He gave the true definition of marriage as the coming together of a man and a woman from two different nations (families) to create a new nation (family) that will promote the best interest of all and whose culture will give our world rest. Mr. Oladele Emmanuel Temilade enlightened the participants on concepts that promote marital wellness, statutory Roles, Behavioural and Administrative Roles of marriage registrars, whilst Dr. Tolu Oko-Ighaire enlightened the participants on Counselling and Best Practices for Counselling. The Lagos State Government remains committed in ensuring holistic response is issued in assistance to matters of Sexual and Gender Based Violence.

Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency Trains Newly Recruited Doctors on Sexual Assault Management

Posted on August 30, 2022

In line with the mandate of the Agency to ensure continuous capacity development of all responder agencies, the Lagos State domestic and sexual violence agency in partnership with the Primary Health Care Board recently engaged forty newly recruited doctors drawn from the twenty Local Government/Council Development Areas in an intensive training on sexual assault management services. The three-day non-residential training which was held on the 23rd, 24th and 25th of August, 2022 respectively at the Lagos State Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) Ikeja, was facilitated by medical experts Dr. Sodipo Oluwajimi (Family Physician, Head Family Medicine, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital), Dr. Veronica Iwayemi (Reproductive Rights and Health Focal Officer, Primary Health Care Board) and Mrs. Omotola Rotimi (Legal practitioner and SGBV Expert). In an introductory speech, the Executive Secretary of the Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency, Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi stated that there is a compelling need to train the newly recruited doctors, to effectively respond to the issues of sexual assault in their respective Primary Health Centres in the State. She also reminded health workers of the establishment of the Sexual Intervention Fund which now makes the access to medical services FREE for survivors at all designated State health facilities. During the training, participants were exposed to various topics, which include Responding to Sexual Assault -Direct Patient Care, Medico Legal Issues in Management of Sexual assault as well as the use of Medical Assessment Tools ranging from rape kits, medical report sheets, to enhance and ensure optimal service delivery. This will ultimately facilitate examination and management of patients after sexual assault, and improve the quality and documentation of evidence collection. The Training is in furtherance of Mr. Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve in ensuring that all individuals, especially, survivors of sexual assault, irrespective of their status are able to receive comprehensive and professional medical care post assault.

Lagos “Showcase” Achievements at 62nd NBA AGC

Posted on August 24, 2022

The Lagos State Government on Tuesday showcased some of its various achievements at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association currently holding at Eko Atlantic City,Victoria island. In his welcome address, the Honourable Commissioner for Justice and Lagos State Attorney-General, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN) noted that the ‘showcase session’ was organised to highlight some of the developmental strides of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s adminstration as encapsulated in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda since inception. The commissioner stated that giant strides have been recorded in the area of infrastructure development, healthcare, transportation, land administration, economy, security among others. “The essence of this showcase session is to let the people of Lagos State have an idea of what is going on in Lagos State, the structures, processes, deliverables, milestones, achievements and what the people can expect under the administration of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu as outlined in the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda”. The attorney-general urged Lagosians to be rest assured that all the policies and programmes of the present administration will be fully implemented. The acting Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice, Mr. Saheed Quadri in his remarks stated that the State Government will continue to up the ante of governance and serve as a worthy reference point in the country. He however urged residents to cooperate with the State Government in making Lagos a Mega City. Speakers at the event includes Mr. Tunji Bello, Commissioner for the Environment and Water Resources; Prof. Akin Abayomi, Commissioner for Health; Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye, Special Adviser to the Governor on Works & Infrastructure and Mr. Bode Agoro, Permanent Secretary Lands Bureau. Other speakers include Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency; Engr. (Mrs.) Abimbola Akinajo, Managing Director, LAMATA; Engr. (Mrs.) Ibilola Kasunmu, GM Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA) and Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency. There was thunderous applause from guests as the various achievements and milestones were reeled out with a charge that there should be more sessions to highlight the numerous milestones recorded by the administration of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Guests at the event included the Deputy Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari and former attorney general of Lagos State, Mr. Ade Ipaye; Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba among others.

Lagos Set to Host “Showcase Session” At NBA General Conference

Posted on August 22, 2022

As part of the ongoing Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association holding at the Eko Atlantic City, there is a Session tagged “Lagos Showcase Session” which is aimed at presenting the various development in Lagos State. In a release signed by the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice,Lagos State, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN, the Session will present an opportunity to highlight some of the various achievements of Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s administration. The Session will feature Mr. Tunji Bello, Hon. Commissioner for The Environment and Water Resources, Prof. Akin Abayomi, Hon. Commissioner for Health, Engr. (Mrs) Aramide Adeyoye – Special Adviser, Works & Infrastructure and Mr. Bode Agoro, Permanent Secretary Lands Bureau. Other speakers include Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu; Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Engr. (Mrs.) Abimbola Akinajo -Managing Director, LAMATA, Engr. (Mrs.) Ibilola Kasunmu, GM LASRRA and Mrs. Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, Executive Secretary, Lagos State Domestic & Sexual Violence Agency amongst others. Some of the presentations will touch on climate change, health care, infrastructural development, land management in Lagos as well as emergency management and security. The Conference is expected to attract not less than 13,000 lawyers across all spectrum, comprising of Lawyers from all over Nigeria as well as other invited participants both from within and outside Nigeria.