Lagos convicts 206 over sexual offences in one year

Etim Effiong

Lagos State government has convicted 206 sexual offenders from April 2020 to April 2021.

The Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Moyosore Onigbanjo (SAN), said this while giving accounts on the performance of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice at the 2021 Ministerial Press briefing on Wednesday.

According to him, no fewer than 206 persons who have been convicted of sexual offences have been registered on the National Sexual Offenders Register even as Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team responded to 3,831 cases of domestic violence between April 2020 to April 2021 in Lagos State.

Talking on the breakdown, Onigbanjo said that of the 3,831 reported cases of domestic violence, 2,629 involved adults while 1,202 of the cases involved children.

“A call centre number 08000333333 has been launched to respond to reports of gender-based violence and the state government will also be providing compensation and empowerment for survivors,” he assured.

Onigbanjo added that the Public Advisory Centre of the Lagos State Ministry of Justice, between April 2020 and April 2021, rendered advice on 47,586 cases ranging from tenancy, pension claims, domestic violence, health matters and illegal demolition of properties.

He said: “The Ministry’s Citizen Mediation Centre (CMC) within a year, resolved 9,686 cases out of 12,358.

“Recently the CMC Ojokoro-Ijaiye, on April 14,2021 successfully restored a family back into their apartment after being locked out by the aggrieved landlord for 18 days.

“The Directorate of Citizens Rights resolved 1,640 petitions covering landlord and tenant, employer-employee matters and matrimonial disputes. “The Directorate also recovered N51,500, 000 on behalf of complainants.”