News

Lagos CJ Grants Amnesty to 30 Inmates to Decongest Over Stretch Prison Population.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba hasgranted freedom and re-integrated back to the society thirty out of the fortyinmates listed for amnesty programme.

The inmates were pardoned at an open court session presidedover by the Chief Judge at the premises of Ikeja Magistrates’ Court in Ogba.

Those granted freedom included four juveniles who were froma Foster Home, Borstal Training Institution, Adigbe in Abeokuta.

Others were released from Ikoyi and Kirikiri CorrectionalCentre.

Some of the inmates had been in the correctional facilitiessince 2013 before they were granted freedom.

The Chief Judge ordered that six of the inmates be returnedback to prison while the remaining four names had errors.

The chief judge, while releasing the suspect, said that theexercise was in line with the efforts by the Federal Government to decongestcustodial centres as stipulated in Sections 1(1) of the Criminal JusticeRelease from Custody Act, Cap C40, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2007 and377 (c) of the Administration of Criminal Justice (amendment) Law 2021.

According to him, the amnesty is guided by relevant lawsupon fulfillment of requisites, before it could be embarked upon.

Justice Alogba said the exercise was related to people whohad stayed much longer than they would have stayed upon conviction and thosewhose trials had been stalled.

He explained that the over stretch awaiting trial inmates atthe Correctional Center was as a result of systemic failure as cases had notbeen going promptly not to as failure of the judiciary but due to ancillaryfactors.

"Cases are not going on in courts not because themagistrates or judges are not upright in their duties but failure as a resultof hitches in the course of prosecuting offenders," he said.

The chief judge also commended the committee that lookedinto the case of those released for doing a thorough job.

In a remark, the Deputy Controller, Nigeria CorrectionalServices (NCS), Lagos Command, DCC Comfort Obiosio, who represented the Controllerof NCS, Lagos, Mr Ben Freedman, revealed that almost nine thousand inmates werein the three correctional centers in the state.

She urged the chief judge to use his good office to see thatprivileges were given to some remorseful inmates in order to decongest thecorrectional centers.

"We have almost nine thousand locked up in Lagos and wehope the CJ uses his good office to free those qualified and decongest thefacilities," Obiosio said.

On his part, the Lagos State Commissioner for Police, CPIdowu Owohunwa, represented by the Deputy Commissioner for police, DCP WaheedAyilara, said that the Nigeria Police has a partner in justice system, wouldcontinue to ensure due process and the exercise should be a continuous one inorder to curb the shortfall as maximum capacity was about 1, 500. 

"The police will continue to be diligent in theirinvestigation in order to help  with thedecongestion," Ayilara said.

Lagos State Judiciary Honours Late Jurist - Alhaji (Chief) Olalekan Abdulfatai Yusuf (SAN).

The Lagos State Judiciary recently held a valedictory Court Session in honor of Late Alhaji (Chief) Olalekan Abdulfatai Yusuf (SAN), one of the nation's foremost legal practitioners with over three decades in the legal profession and a consummate legal practitioner.

The event took place at the premises of the Ikeja High Court and was attended by Judges of the High Court, Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Body of Benchers , family members amongst others.

The State Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba, in his remarks described the late Olalekan Yusuf as a great jurist who dedicated himself not only to the practice of the profession but also to humanity.

Alogba described the late legal icon as the go-to Counsel for complex legal matters, particularly in the area of land law, law of secured credit transactions and commercial law, and was a nationally acclaimed Advocate and transaction expert whose expertise also covered the entire gamut of land law.

While commiserating with the families of the bereaved, the Chief Judge advised the immediate family to sustain the good legacy which the late Chief lived for.
He also stated that: "The late Alhaji Chief Olalekan Yusuf lived an exemplary life and would be fondly remembered for his doggedness, diligence and creative approach towards solving complex legal matters while maintaining the highest ethical standard.".

It should be noted that late Alhaji Chief Olalekan Yusuf attended the prestigious University of Lagos from 1983 to 1986 where he obtained his LLB and was called to the Nigerian Bar Association in 1987. He established his own law firm then known as Olalekan Yusuf & Co. The law firm is now known as Olalekan Yusuf, SAN & Co.

Subsequently, Chief Olalekan Yusuf occupied various sensitive positions during his lifetime. He was the Vice-Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association, Ikeja Branch between 1998 to 2000 and also chairman, Human Rights Committee of Ikeja Branch of NBA between the same period. He became the substantive Chairman, Ikeja Branch of NBA between 2000 to 2002.

To confirm the recognition of his numerous years in Legal advocacy, Legal Knowledge, competence, temerity and legal expertise, the Supreme Court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria conferred Alhaji Chief Olalekan Yusuf with the prestigious rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) in the year 2013.

Babatunde, R.B.
PEO, Public Affairs
10/03/2023

Lagos State Judiciary Announces Half Working Day for Staff.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba has approved that staff in Lagos High Courts should close for the day by 1.00pm on Friday 24th of February, 2023.

This was communicated through a notice signed by the Acting Chief Registrar, Mr. Tajudeen Elias.

The Chief Judge approved the half working day to enable Lagos State Judiciary Staff prepare for the presidential election slated for February 25, 2023.

All staff are hereby expected to resume work fully on Monday February 27, 2023.

Ololade Ige / Adekunbi Bakare
Public Affairs Officers
23/02/2023

Lagos Judiciary Trains Sheriffs on Enforcement of Court Judgments.

The Lagos State Judiciary has organized a two-day workshop for Sheriffs on the enforcement of judgment delivered by the court and ways to handle some of the challenges of such enforcement.

The workshop programme which started on Wednesday 15th February 2023 in Ikeja, is expected to ends today, Thursday 16th February 2023.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Honourable Justice Kazeem Alogba ably represented by Admin Judge Lagos, Hon Justice Oluwatoyin Ipaye, at the training, described court sheriffs as an important arm of the Lagos State Judiciary and a critical part of the dispensation of justice.

Alogba stressed that "Litigation starts and ends with the Sheriffs and for this reason, they are critical and a very important part of justice dispensation in Lagos State Judiciary. Unless you do your part as a sheriff, nothing can be done in court. It is after your proper serving of processes that cases can move."

He also reiterated that all Sheriffs must keep proper records of events and report accordingly immediately for documentation and future occurrence."

The Chief Judge posited that Sheriffs as executors of the court judgment must be upright in carrying out their duties and making sure the judgment creditor enjoys the fruits of the judgment.

While speaking earlier at the workshop, Hon Justice Adesola Ogala averred that since all Court processes starts  and ends with the Sheriffs, they must ensure that any form of sharp practices is avoided, adding that all Court directives must be complied with while carrying out their duties.

In addition, Hon Justice Florence Aigbokhaevbo in her paper delivered also laid emphasis on prompt and regular sales of goods brought to the Court after execution according to the rules and  to decongest the stall.

She further stated that: "For service to be proper, it must be effected by an authorized person(s) under the rules of Court, it must be effected in accordance with the rules of court and there must be proof that service was effected per the procedure provided by law."

Babatunde R. B.
PEO Public Affairs
18/02/2023

Rejection of Old Naira Notes.

The attention of Lagos State Judiciary has been drawn to some news making the rounds on the rejection of old Naira notes by officials of the Court in Lagos. It has therefore become necessary to put the records straight.

As usual cash collected at our various Registries were taken to the Banks for deposit. On Monday 13^th February, 2023, the Bankers refused to collect the cash. Under the Financial Regulations there’s a limit to how much cash, we could hold in house, and for security reasons too. We therefore had to consult the appropriate quarters on the development.

In the circumstance, the public was advised to make use of the existing electronic platform for payments whilst the development was being dealt with.

After due consultations today, the Lagos State Judiciary resolved to receive cash payments, alongside electronic transfers from the Public.

The Lagos State Judiciary wishes to reiterate that it is an integral part of the Nigerian Judiciary and holds tenaciously to the due administration of Justice and the Rule of Law generally

T. A. Elias
Ag. Chief Registrar
16/02/2023

Lagos Judiciary to Proceed on End of Year Break from Dec 23rd ... makes alternative provision for urgent cases during break.

Lagos State Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba has announced that Lagos Judiciary will begin 2022 Christmas vacation from  December 23 and resume work on Tuesday, 3rdof January, 2023.

This was contained in a notice signed by Acting Chief Registrar, Mr. Tajudeen Elias, revealing that Lagos State Chief Judge, Kazeem Alogba approved the vacation pursuant to order 49 rule 4 (c) and 5 of the High Court of Lagos State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2019.

In the Notice, the Chief Judge noted that arrangements for dealing with urgent causes during the Christmas vacation are that each judge will deal with all urgent applications related to any substantive cause already assigned to him/her.

According to the Chief Judge, “Any urgent application, (the substantive cause of which has not already been assigned) will be dealt with by the judge to whom the application is specifically assigned.”

“Notwithstanding the provisions of Order 49, Rule 4 (supra)any cause or matter may be heard by a judge during the period of the Christmas vacation where such a cause or matter is urgent, provided that the conditions prescribed by Order 49 Rule 5 (supra) shall be observed and complied with.”

Sanwoolu Flags off Redevelopment of Iconic Igboshere Courts.

Governor of Lagos State, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu today performed the Groundbreaking Ceremony for the redevelopment and reconstruction of the Historic Igbosere High Court which was destroyed during the civil unrest of October 2020.

The Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund (RLTF) was established in November 2020, following Governor Sanwo-Olu’s Executive order EO/BOS/2020, for rebuilding and restoring affected state assets in Lagos, Nigeria's commercial capital.

Among the six pioneer projects identified by the Fund, High Court Igbosere holds historical significance to Lagos as a State, and Nigeria a country. Hence, the Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund is dedicated to its restoration and upgrade.

The High Court of Lagos, Igbosere was the oldest and most notable colonial judicial building in Nigeria. It was originally called the Supreme Court with its jurisdiction limited to Lagos and its existence dates back to the period of cession of Lagos to the British Government.

For historical purposes, the colonial building is preserved by rebuilding the shell and courtrooms therein, maintaining its external look while upgrading the internal facilities to meet the present-day demands for services and infrastructure.

The expansion of the number of court facilities within the Complex from 22 to 38 Courts in response to the deficiency in the number of courtrooms in the State.

To eliminate the former car parking challenges within the facility, a multilevel park would be built in the new complex, A 700-seater auditorium to be created due to the increased number of courtrooms being created.

Additional office spaces would also be created to adequately accommodate the judges and other upgrades that directly address the old colonial building’s challenges.

The contractor for this reconstruction project is Formwork Ltd and Mar & Mor Enginering Services.

Project Duration is 18 Months for the First Phase, 2nd Phase of this project is scheduled to start by April 2023.

Lagos Judiciary Promises to Leverage on ICT for Effective Dispensation of Justice.

The Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba has promised that the State Judiciary will continue to explore and harness the potentials in Information Communication Technology, ICT to deliver effective justice system to the residents of the Lagos State.

He made the pledge at the Lagos State Judiciary year 2022,Management retreat held at the Orchid Hotels in Lekki with the theme”Transformation to a digital judiciary( The Road map)

According to him, the need for the retreat was essential because upon his appointment as the 17th Chief Judge, he made a pledge before all that “I shall key into the vision of Mr. Governor Sanwo-Olu administration in ensuring that we have a smart judiciary by providing first class judicial service in line with international best practice”

While examining the theme, the Chief Judge averred that “We would deploy more tools of Information and Communication Technology ICT in the provision of our services”

Alogba enjoined all members of staff to embrace and get familiar with the Digital Age in the discharge of their respective duties in order to remain relevant in the present age.

The 3 Day event had different facilitators who spoke on diverse topics that were beneficial to the staff of the judiciary. The Day one lecture was delivered by Hon Justice Olatokun who took the staff on understanding the role of management staff in the administration of justice followed by Engr. Waheed Sule who handled the digitization of judiciary while his counterpart from the Economic Planning and Budget Mr. Ogunmolu Oluwaseun delivered a paper on Electronic court returns.

The staff had a session to unwind as sporting challenges such as Table tennis challenge and Tug of War were outlined for staff of Ikeja and Lagos Island divisions respectively

Other facilitators subsequently took lectures on Stress Management by Dr. Sodimu while    Mrs.Durodola from the Public Service Office engaged the staff on Retirement:Planning, Management and its challenges.

There was an interactive session where Management staff had to take questions on ways to effectively and efficiently move the judiciary forward

Lagos Chief Judge receives Transparency Africa Honour, seeks end to Institutional Corruption.

The LagosState Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Kazeem Alogba has called for total eradicationof corruption in all sectors of the nation's economy, saying that every corruptpractice including institutional corruption must be avoided for the rebirth ofa greater Nigeria.

He made theplea during an award presentation made to him on Wednesday 24th August, 2022 byTransparency Africa at the High Court Annex, Osborne Ikoyi, in acknowledgementof his transparent achievements, excellence, integrity and leadership approach.

Saying thatcorruption has eaten deep into the fabric of the Nigerian society, the ChiefJudge maintained that it is imperative for Nigerians to rise up and put an endto the monster, by ensuring that right pegs are put in the right holes.

His words:"Until the system is ready to put disciplinary measures in place to serveas deterrent, we cannot move ahead in the eradication of corruption"

"Whencomplaints are made and people cannot stand by such complaints and allow dueprocess take its natural course, then it makes it difficult for corruption tobe eliminated." he stated.

Alogbatherefore enjoined and encouraged the delegates to be bold and transparentwhile discharging their duties just as he promised to ensure an incorruptiblesystem in the State judiciary.

Lolade Ige/Adekunbi Bakare

PublicAffairs Officers

Lagos statejudiciary

24/08/2022