Keypoints
- The Lagos State Government has intensified efforts to strengthen justice administration through key investments in forensic infrastructure, courts, and custodial facilities.
- Authorities established a temporary operational facility to restore forensic capabilities disrupted during the destruction of the Lagos State DNA and Forensic Centre.
- Strategic logisitic interventions included the procurement of purpose-built transit buses to halt inmate transportation delays.
- Judicial bodies reported that special offences mobile courts prosecuted 15,342 cases, generating over N155 million in revenue.
- Alternative dispute resolution structures successfully settled 49,189 conflicts, facilitating the recovery of N1.4 billion for disputing parties.
Main Story
The Lagos State Government has stated that it has intensified efforts to strengthen justice administration through major investments in forensic infrastructure, correctional facilities, courts and citizens’ rights protection mechanisms across the state.
Disclosing this during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing, the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Mr. Lawal Pedro (SAN) argued that the creation of a new demilitarized warehouse at Majidun in 2025 significantly improved accountability and the management of judicial exhibits.
He maintained that prior to the construction of the facility, the management and preservation of exhibits and attached properties posed serious operational and security challenges.
To restore specialized capabilities, Pedro indicated that the ministry converted and renovated an existing canteen facility into a temporary forensic centre to sustain operations pending the reconstruction of the main facility.
He noted that the full restoration of the primary asset, which was disrupted during the EndSARS unrest, is estimated to cost about 10 million dollars.
Pedro also stated that the state addressed inmate transport delays by procuring purpose-built Toyota Coaster buses for the Nigerian Correctional Service, explaining that the intervention will ensure safer and more efficient movement to courts while reducing criminal trial delays.
Furthermore, Pedro stated that the state has undertaken extensive renovation of custodial centres to ease pressure on facilities while expanding access to justice through court construction in several communities.
He noted that the special offences mobile courts prosecuted 15,342 cases between January 2023 and March 2026, targeting environmental violations, traffic infractions, street trading, and illegal activities on Bus Rapid Transit corridors.
He added that the Citizens’ Mediation Bureau received 117,375 cases within the same period, successfully resolving 49,189 disputes. Pedro maintained that the bureau has continued to strengthen alternative dispute resolution and improve access to justice, shielding thousands of disputes from escalating into police stations.
The Issues
- Rebuilding specialized high-tech laboratory infrastructure requires substantial foreign capital and long-term tech procurement windows.
- Logistical deficits in transporting detainees from congested holding facilities frequently derail court calendars and prolong pre-trial detentions.
- Managing public demonstrations demands a delicate balance between protecting critical public property and upholding constitutional assembly freedoms.
What’s Being Said
- State Attorney-General Lawal Pedro stated that “We now have a dedicated warehouse where all exhibits and confiscated properties can be properly preserved, documented and secured.”
- He added that regarding the intermediate laboratory arrangements, “The forensic centre remains a vital tool in the administration of justice. In spite of the destruction suffered during the crisis, we ensured continuity by creating a temporary operational facility while plans continue for the full restoration of the main centre.”
- Discussing transit upgrades for detainees, he noted that “This intervention will ensure safer and more efficient movement of inmates to courts across the state while reducing delays in criminal trials.”
What’s Next
- Infrastructure teams will finalize the architectural blueprints and procurement logs for the main 10 million dollar DNA and Forensic Centre reconstruction.
- The Ministry of Justice will systematically transition its standard reference library into a modern law resource and training centre for judicial personnel.
- Legal officers within the Citizens’ Mediation Bureau will expand localized clinic days to handle emerging community land and tenancy disputes.
Bottom Line
Deploying an infrastructure-led judicial strategy, the Lagos State Government has committed millions of dollars toward forensic reconstruction, transit logistics, and mobile court processing to speed up criminal trials and decongest standard security channels.
