LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
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- OPD, others received over 40,000 petitions
By Oyebola Owolabi
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) arrested, arraigned and convicted 10,266 offenders through the Special Offences (Mobile) Court in the last one year.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), stated this at the ongoing press briefing to mark the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
The agency handled 4,641 adult domestic violence cases and 2,976 children cases, with 118 rape cases and rescued 64 people in the last one year. It also obtained over 50 judgments, 36 restraining orders, handled 652 social welfare cases, concluded mediation in 107 cases and reached over 800,000 people in the community through advocacy and sensitization, Pedro said.
According to him, the government secured over 320 judgments in its favour and also approved 100 plea bargains in the last one year.
The commissioner noted that Office of the Public Defender (OPD) secured 230 judgments in favour of the state, the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) obtained 40 judgments, while the Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) secured over 50 judgments.
He said: “In the period under review, 230 judgments were obtained in favour of the state by the OPD. This is in addition to receiving 4,272 petitions and 1,788 cases (family, industrial, civil, and criminal court cases) across seven of its office locations, including six outstation offices, and OPD headquarters, or through the courts.”
The Attorney-General also said the OPD handled 1,812 child-related cases, 316 domestic violence-related cases, and 29 rescue missions, adding that the agency also received 1,988 cases via court and correctional centres (Criminal, Industrial, Civil, and Family related cases), of which 448 were concluded successfully. The Office received N59,326,549 on behalf of its clients and beneficiaries.
Pedro disclosed that the DPP obtained 40 judgments in courts and 11 Plea Bargains, with seven cases struck out and four others discharged in the last one year. He added that the Directorate received 377 files for legal advice, of which it issued 229 advice, with 148 files pending.
Also, the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights received 755 petitions on family matters, 131 petitions on employee/employer matters and 744 tenancy matters, out of which 539 (family matters), 80 (employee/employer) and 577 (tenancy matters) were resolved respectively.
According to Pedro, the Citizens’ Mediation Centre (CMC) received 35,655 matters for mediation, of which 20,691 were treated and resolved. He added that 14,964 matters were undecided as a result of non-attendance of concerned parties at mediation sessions.
“Based on the agency’s guiding principles and core values that justice is delivered irrespective of status or socio-economic background, the agency received N183,721,134 on behalf of parties being the settlement of debt related matters,” he noted.
