Magistrates from the Lagos State judiciary have begun a weeklong intervention to decongest police stations in the state.
The visits, which commenced on Monday, May 17, is in collaboration with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (Lagos State), the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Lagos State and Police Duty Solicitors (PDSS).
This is coming on the heels of the eight-week-old industrial action embarked upon by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) to press for autonomy for the judiciary.
Magistrates are empowered under sections 33 and 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, thus the officials carried out the visits at the State CID, Panti, Lagos, where they went through the files of 200 detainees.
The next day, Tuesday, the magistrates visited police stations in Ikorodu, Itire, Somolu, Ketu, Ejigbo, Isheri, Ajegunle and Zone 2 at Onikan.