The Lagos State Government says its special task force on land grabbing has received 1,237 petitions in the last seven months.
The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Adeniji Kazeem, said this on Tuesday in Lagos at the 2017 Ministerial Press Briefing of the state Ministry of Justice.
The briefing held as part of activities to give account of Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode’s achievements in the sector as his administration clocks two years on May 29.
Kazeem said about 250 of the petitions, which were received by the special task force inaugurated in September 2016, had been resolved through various means including physical enforcement, mediation and conciliation.
According to him, the task force has been given a permanent office to further enhance its operations and bring succour to the people of Lagos State.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the state government had set up the task force soon after Gov. Ambode’s signing of the Lagos State Properties Protection Law in August 2016.
The law, aimed at checking the menace of land grabbing in Lagos, stipulates as much as 21 years jail term for convicts.
Kazeem said the state had passed 14 Bills into law between 2016 and 2017, to champion development in the state.
He said this was also to improve the citizens’ access to quality justice, law reform, due process, law and order in the state.
”The ministry through its Directorate of Legislative Drafting and the Law Reform Commission has been involved in the drafting, amendment and reform of Laws and Regulations sponsored in collaboration with the House of Assembly and other MDAs.
”During the period under review, 14 Bills were passed into law while 12 bills are currently undergoing drafting process.
”Some of them are the Lagos State Environmental Protection and Management Law 2017, the Lagos State Sports Trust Fund Law 2017, The Lagos State Sports Commission 2017, Lagos State Kidnapping Prohibition Law, 2017 and others.
”Our goal is to promote access to justice, regardless of socio- economic class and to attract, develop, motivate and retain the best law officers within a supportive work environment,” he said.
On the DNA Forensic Centre, Kazeem said the centre would be inaugurated in May to aid proper investigation and prosecution of crimes in the state.
”The Centre will be world class and the first by any government in Nigeria.
”It will be geared towards enabling proper investigation, prosecution of crimes, adjudication and the administration of justice in the state, ” he said.
Kazeem said that Mobile Courts had been able to successfully reduce street trading, traffic congestion and anti-social conduct on the roads.
He said they had also checked environmental nuisance, thereby improving the socio-economic well-being of the residents.
”Within the period under review, a total number of 4, 426 offenders have been arraigned before the courts and series of enlightenment campaigns have been carried to make residents aware of the need to obey traffic rules and keep the environment safe and secure,” he said.
Kazeem said that the Office of Public Offender handled 4,149 petitions and 5,400 cases on behalf of indigent residents of Lagos at no cost.
He said the cases cut across labour, civil, criminal, coroner’s inquests and fundamental rights at various courts.