By Kazeem Ugbodaga
The Lagos State Government has recovered over ₦10 billion and tracked nearly 74,000 criminal cases in a sweeping 12-month performance.
Speaking at the Ministerial Press Briefing at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN), revealed that 73,962 criminal cases had been processed across various correctional facilities within the review period—over 10,000 of which occurred between January 2024 and May 2025.
“These figures reflect our ongoing drive to ensure access to justice for all, in a state of over 20 million people,” Pedro said.
A key tool in this achievement has been the Lagos Criminal Information System (LCIS), a centralised database that enhances coordination, transparency, and case tracking across the state’s justice ecosystem.
Addressing the chronic overcrowding of correctional facilities—currently operating at 106% over capacity—Pedro noted the ministry’s increasing use of non-custodial sentencing.
“We supervised community service for 10,120 offenders in 18 designated locations, helping to reduce congestion while promoting restorative justice,” he explained.
The Attorney-General also highlighted the impact of the Special Offences Mobile Court, which convicted 71,023 individuals for minor offences such as traffic violations, street trading, and vandalism.
He said the initiative has helped to restore order and deter public nuisance across Lagos.
In the civil and economic justice space, he said the Citizens Mediation Centre successfully resolved 141,404 out of 214,342 cases, recovering ₦2.2 billion for claimants.
Similarly, he added that the Office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee resolved 566 estate matters out of 620 petitions and disbursed ₦1.27 billion to beneficiaries, generating an additional ₦2.35 billion in state revenue.
“The ministry’s public legal services arm also recorded robust results. The Public Advisory Centre handled nearly 198,000 citizen enquiries, while the Office of the Public Defender secured 1,323 favourable judgments and recovered ₦291 million on behalf of vulnerable residents.
“The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) responded to over 8,000 cases, provided counselling to over 4,000 survivors, and reached more than six million people through public advocacy campaigns.
“The Ministry’s infrastructure initiatives included the commissioning of a new Commercial Court at Tapa and the reconstruction of the J.I.C. Taylor Court House, now with 24 modern courtrooms. In a historic move, Governor Sanwo-Olu approved the construction of 34 three-bedroom flats for Magistrates, with 10 additional units designated for State Counsel,” he stated.
Economically, Pedro revealed that the Directorate of Commercial Law contributed over ₦6.5 billion in revenue through legal advisory services, helping to enhance investor confidence through regulatory clarity and legal safeguards.
Mr. Pedro also spotlighted a major partnership between the Ministry and the ECOWAS Community Court of Justice, which recently held a sensitisation programme in Lagos to increase awareness of regional judicial processes and position Lagos as a hub for legal integration in West Africa.
