The Lagos State Government prosecuted to conclusion 185 fresh cases through its newly created District Prosecutors between March and April this year.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the District Prosecutors were created on March 3 as a sub-unit of the state’s Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).
A statement issued on Wednesday in Lagos by Mr Kayode Oyekanmi, Director of Public Affairs, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, said the cases were heard in three Magisterial Districts of Ogba, Ebute-Meta and Ikorodu.
He that the prosecution of the 185 cases was approved after being filtered by the District Prosecutors assigned to Ikorodu, Ogba and Ebute -Meta Magistrate Courts.
Giving a breakdown of the cases, Oyekanmi said that 31 fresh cases were prosecuted and concluded in Ikorodu magisterial district, 135 in Ogba, while 19 were handled in Ebute Meta district.
He explained that the creation of the sub-unit of the DPP was part of the recommendations by the Fola Arthur-Worrey led Advisory Committee on Police Prosecutorial Power in Magistrate Courts.
NAN recalls that the committee was inaugurated in January by Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), Lagos State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice.
The Advisory Committee had in its report recommended that a sub-unit of the DPP should be established in three Magisterial Districts to filter charges presented by Investigating Police Officers (IPO) to the Magistrate Courts.
The committee had also contended that the creation of the sub-unit would ensure that cases presented by the IPOs met the evidential threshold required by the law and hasten dispensation of justice.
