The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency (DSVA) has made significant strides in combating domestic and sexual violence, with the arrest, arraignment, and conviction of 10,266 offenders through the Special Offences (Mobile) Court over the past year. This was disclosed by the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro (SAN), during a press briefing marking the first year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
Pedro highlighted the DSVA's extensive work, handling 4,641 adult domestic violence cases and 2,976 children cases, along with 118 rape cases, and rescuing 64 individuals. The agency also obtained over 50 judgments and 36 restraining orders, handled 652 social welfare cases, concluded mediation in 107 cases, and reached over 800,000 people through community advocacy and sensitization programs.
In addition to these achievements, the Lagos State government secured over 320 judgments in its favor and approved 100 plea bargains within the last year. The Office of the Public Defender (OPD) secured 230 judgments for the state, while the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP) obtained 40 judgments. The DSVA itself secured over 50 judgments during the same period.
Pedro provided detailed statistics on the OPD’s activities, noting that it received 4,272 petitions and handled 1,788 cases (family, industrial, civil, and criminal court cases) across its seven office locations. The OPD also managed 1,812 child-related cases, 316 domestic violence-related cases, and conducted 29 rescue missions. Additionally, the OPD received 1,988 cases via court and correctional centers, successfully concluding 448 of these. The Office secured N59,326,549 on behalf of its clients and beneficiaries.
The DPP's accomplishments include obtaining 40 judgments and 11 plea bargains, with seven cases struck out and four others discharged in the past year. The Directorate received 377 files for legal advice, issuing 229 advices, with 148 files still pending.
Furthermore, the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights handled 755 petitions on family matters, 131 petitions on employee/employer matters, and 744 tenancy matters, resolving 539 family matters, 80 employee/employer matters, and 577 tenancy matters.
The Citizens’ Mediation Centre (CMC) received 35,655 matters for mediation, successfully resolving 20,691 cases. However, 14,964 matters remain undecided due to non-attendance of concerned parties at mediation sessions. Pedro noted that the CMC received N183,721,134 on behalf of parties for the settlement of debt-related matters, reflecting the agency’s commitment to delivering justice irrespective of status or socio-economic background.
