In commemoration of the 2025 UN Human Rights Day, the Lagos State Government has approved the release and computation of sentences of 91 convicts.

This is in exercise of its power of clemency.

The beneficiaries are inmates who have served more than 70 per cent of their punishment in correctional facilities.

However, 80 of those convicts are for immediate release.

The State’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), disclosed this at a press conference organised by the Ministry of Justice and the Directorate of Citizens’ Rights on Wednesday.

The AG said the directorate, which handles a diverse range of matters, has, in the last year, successfully resolved 1,200 cases.

“In 1999, when Nigeria returned to constitutional democracy, Lagos state recognised the urgent need to rebuild public trust and to restore the people’s confidence in institutions meant to protect their human rights. It was against this backdrop that the Directorate of Citizens Rights was created,” he said.

“It was a deliberate democratic intervention by the then governor of Lagos State, His Excellency, Senator Bola Tinubu, now the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, designed to empower citizens with the knowledge of their rights, provide an accessible mechanism for redress, and ensure that abuses associated with military rule never again become part of our civil reality.

“The Directorate of Citizens’ Rights served as a bridge between a past defined by suppression and a future grounded in legal protection, accountability and justice for all.

“Over the years, the Directorate has evolved into one of the most important pillars of Lagos State Justice architecture. Though it began with five foundational units-the Citizens Mediation Unit, the Public Defender Unit, the Human Rights Unit, the Consumer Rights Protection Unit, and the Justice Now Information Unit- many of these units have since matured into full-fledged agencies,” the SAN added.

Speaking further, the commissioner said, “In the last year, the directorate received approximately 1,950 petitions, successfully resolved 1,200 cases through mediation, while the others remain under investigation or active litigation.

“The directory currently handles about 50 fundamental rights suit before the Federal High Court and the State High Court covering such issues as alleged police misconduct, unlawful detention, property rights violation, and denial of parental access.”

While noting that the directorate of citizens right had expanded its human rights profile significantly, to uphold the dignity and liberty of every resident, the AG urged residents of Lagos to respect the right of others and remain law abiding pledging that the directorate of citizens right and the entire justice sector in the state will on its part continue to pursue fairness, equality, accountability and equal access to justice.

“The Bureau of Public Defender continues to provide free legal representation to Indigent residents, including survivors of domestic violence, victims of rape and sexual offenses, children in conflict with the law, and individuals unlawfully detained,” he added. (Channels TV)

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