In 10-months, Lagos State Recorded 138 Domestic Violence Cases Against Men

The Lagos State Domestic Violence and Sexual Violence Response Team today said it received 138 cases of domestic violence against men from May 2017 to March 2018.

Adeniji Kazeem, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, made the disclosure at the 2018 Ministerial Press Briefing to mark three years in office of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

Kazeem noted that 30 cases against men were reported from May 2016 to April 2017. He said that a total number of 1,771 cases of domestic and sexual violence were reported during the period under review.

He advised members of the public to dial the helpline – #6820# to report cases of violence for prompt and appropriate action. On the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre, established in September 2017, Kazeem said that the centre had received 316 inquiries and had over 71 active cases bothering on homicide, rape, toxicology, child trafficking, serology and others.

He said that the Special Task Force Against Land Grabbers received 1,300 petitions out of which 855 were concluded and 530 pending. ”In the period under review, 35 suspected land grabbers were arrested and 26 criminal prosecution cases are ongoing,” he said.

The commissioner said that the Special Offences Court (Mobile Court) recorded an increase in the number of offenders arraigned in the period under review compared to the figure of the previous year. He said that 8,380 offenders were arraigned in the period under review for parking on walkways and yellow lines, use of BRT lanes, hanging on tailboard of moving vehicles, driving against traffic and some other offences.

Kazeem said that the Office of the Public Offender received 4,282 petitions to provide legal aid to residents especially the less privileged and the vulnerable. He said that 2,264 of the petitions had been concluded while others were still at various stages of review, investigation and conclusion.

According to him, through the efforts of the office, N5.7 million was received on behalf of petitioners. ”The office also took up cases of 262 inmates at Badagry, Kirikiri and Ikoyi Prisons while five children, who were discovered at Ikoyi Prison, were transferred to appropriate homes and eventually released from custody,” he said.

The commissioner said that the Rapid Tax Prosecution Unit of the state, in collaboration with the state Internal Revenue Service, ensured that tax payers complied with tax laws. He said that the unit filed 327 cases at the high court, prosecuted tax defaulters and generated over N107 million for the state government.

He also said that the Citizens’ Mediation Centre, saddled with the responsibility of providing free legal services to residents, received 47,292 cases during the period under review, out of which 25,191 cases had been resolved. According to him, the centre achieved settlement of debt-related matters between parties in the sum of N1.4 billion within the period under review.

The commissioner said that 2,249 offenders were sentenced to community service for various offences, and that the sentences were served in various public institutions. He said that no fewer than 40 inmates who, had spent from 20 years to 34 years in custody, were released by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode based on recommendation of the Advisory Council on Prerogative of Mercy.