Director of the Lagos State Public Prosecution (DPP), Mrs Yinka Adeyemi, has reiterated the determination of the Ministry of Justice to continue its mission to police divisions in the state to decongest police cells and ensure the liberty of suspects as guaranteed by the Nigeria constitution.
In a telephone interview with Freedomonline, Adeyemi said the efforts sọ far is yielding positive results, especially when the strike action embarked upon by judiciary workers is preventing court sitting to grant bail to suspects by the court.
According to the DPP, the effort is in line with the scheme put up by the state government through the Ministry of Justice, enabling lawyers as district prosecutors to now prosecute cases in magistrate court instead of the regular police prosecutors.
She said lawyers from the Justice Ministry are now visiting police divisions in the state to look and examine case files where there are no evidences or criminal element to establish a case against the suspects.
“We now visit police divisions to examine case files rather than wait for the police to take such case to court before bringing such case files for DPP’s advice owing to the JUSUN strike.
” When we look at the case file and we see there is no criminal element to warrant court action, there and then we advise a non prosecution to enable the release of such suspect.
” Since we have started on Monday, there were quite a number of case files that we have issued such advice and the police has since set the suspects free.”
She said that there are days which have been set aside for such police divisions visit to get suspects released and decongest the police cells.
The State Counsel in the Directorate of Public Prosecutions, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, acting under the directive of the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo SAN commenced the initiative on Monday to cushion the effects of the protracted JUSUN strike and decongesting Police cells of suspects held in custody due to the lockdown of the Courts.
All Counsel in the directorate were mobilized to Police Divisions in the State to carry out the work of District Prosecutors by sifting through IPOs files for matters which do fall within the purview of Criminal trials.
As such, all matters not Criminal in nature were declined and the Police advised to release such suspects in their custody.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Mrs Adeyemi had commended the Police for their cooperation and support for this proactive initiative.
The directorate will continue with this exercise in all Police divisions until the JUSUN strike is called off and Courts resume full operation.
