Lagos State Ministry of Justice, through the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), has held a stakeholders’ meeting to further enhance and promote plea-bargain and district prosecutors’ scheme of the state government.
In a statement, yesterday, the state’s Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), said that the meeting, which was a hybrid version of both physical and online, was an opportunity to create more awareness about the plea bargain and the district prosecutors’ scheme, as well as a platform to receive feedback from stakeholders on how to improve and further strengthen the scheme.
According to the attorney-general, the scheme took off in April 2020, following the recommendations of the advisory committee on police prosecutors at the Magistrate Courts, chaired by Mr. Fola Arthur-Worrey (former Solicitor-General of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice), to set up a review mechanism that will ensure residents are not unnecessarily detained for charges that are civil in nature.
The commissioner also stated that plea-bargain had served as an important tool to keep the wheel of justice moving in a timely and cost-effective manner as it had helped to decongest the extremely congested correctional facilities in the state.Onigbanjo reiterated the administration’s commitment to enhancing the administration of criminal justice in the state with the implementation of the use of video conferencing in criminal proceedings, magistrates’ visit to police stations on monthly basis, prohibition of media parade of suspects, remote hearing, award of compensation to victims of crime, among others. Guardian