Following the elevation of the immediate past Director Office of the Public Prosecution, DPP, Mr Yinka Adeyemi as a judge of the High Court of Lagos, a former Director, Office of the Public Defender (OPD), Dr. Babajide Martins, has been appointed as a replacement.
Dr Babajide who until his appointment as the DPP as announced by the Lagos State Solicitor General, Ms Titi Shutta-Bey, head the Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP), in the Ministry of Justice.
Babajide who has led so many Directorates in the state Ministry of Justice is a Legal Luminary, a Progressive and Seasoned Technocrat, a Human Rights Advocate, a Passionate and Relentless Worker in the Temple of Justice.
A graduate of University of Lagos, he was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1990 and is also a Solicitor of the Supreme Court of England and Wales.
Dr. Martins graduated with Master in Law, LLM in European Management and Employment Law and Master of Business Administration (MBA) respectively from the University of Leicester, England. He thereafter bagged a PhD in Constitutional law from Birkbeck College, University of London.
Dr. Martins is the current Director of the Lagos State Office of the Public Defender an agency saddled with the mandate of ensuring that every resident of Lagos State has equal access to justice. Prior to joining the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Dr. Martins had worked in England as a Crown Prosecutor and at Blackburn Borough Council in England, where his practice included Criminal Prosecution, Civil Litigation, Employment Law, Youth Justice and Safeguarding.
A Versatile Facilitator who has conducted, presented papers and served as a discussant at the National Judicial Institute and Lagos State Judiciary legal week. He has also conducted several trainings on Criminal Justice Administration to Police Officers, Magistrates and Customary Court Judges. He is an ardent advocate of Restorative Justice and Mediation in Criminal Matters.
He is an advocate of a fair and just Criminal Justice system and was a member of the committee that drafted the Lagos State Sentencing guidelines. He has served as the Liaison Officer on the European Union funded Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption Programme administered by the British Council in Lagos state. He is also currently the Liaison Officer for the Ministry of Justice on the German GIZ Programme for support for the Criminal Justice Administration.
He has served as Special Assistant on Criminal Prosecutions to two former Lagos State Attorney Generals and was formerly a Director of the Office of the Public Defender, before his recent appointment as Director of Directorate of Public Prosecutions.
Dr. Martins is a current member of the Lagos State Biosecurity Board.
Following Dr. Martins appointment as DPP, Ms Oshinusi Adetutu has also been appointed as the new Director, Directorate of Citizens Rights, Mrs. Adenike Oluwafemi as Deputy Director, Directorate of Public Prosecutions and Mrs Aderoju Salau as Deputy Director, Directorate of Civil Litigations
Their appointment takes immediate effect.
