Seized motorcycles being unloaded at the Task Force office. Photo: Oladimeji Ramon
At the far end of the premises is the mobile court. At about 10.30m when this reporter arrived at the mobile court, the roving magistrate had sat and risen for the morning session. A female private lawyer said the magistrate, Mr Owolabi, left for the Ikorodu mobile court to treat cases waiting for him and that he would return to Oshodi later for the afternoon session.
Having been warned by a lawyer friend that the mobile court was not well disposed to spectators, I had dressed in a suit and a tie so as to easily pass for a lawyer. After the registrar had invited 14 of the suspects into the dock, she began to read the charges to them thus: “All of you, on the 25 of March – Hey, stop crying! – on the 25 of March 2009 at about 2 hours at Itire, Lagos, Lagos Magisterial District, did conduct yourselves in a manner likely to cause the breach of peace and thereby committed an offence.
“Keep quiet!” Alhaja shouted at one of the crying defendants. “If you cry, you will be charged with contempt of court,” she said.After this, she began to call upon the defendants, one after the other, demanding whether they were guilty or not. The prosecuting counsel for the state, Ope, as a matter of routine, raised no objection to the oral bail applications.
Regardless of their pleas, the magistrate similarly admitted each of the 10 defendants to bail in the sum of N50,000 with one surety. “Two more new charges!” the magistrate interjected. He stressed his resolve to call it a day after that round, with instructions that the remaining defendants had to be brought before him the following morning.
By now, the registrar had finished reading the charges to the third set of defendants and they had taken their plea. With their case adjourned till May 6, they were equally herded out for onward dispatch to the prison. The LCIS noted that 78 per cent of the inmates are awaiting-trial inmates. It pointed out that 56 per cent of the inmates have no lawyer.
Irrespective of the plea, the magistrate routinely admits all defendants to N50,000 bail with one surety, who should deposit N10,000.
It's so sad, so so sad.
This is what I call investigative journalism. Kudos to the journalist who took time out to expose the lagos state task force. I plead with everyone to read this .
segalink
Jungle justice in a jungle city
jidesanwoolu this nonsense followlasg is doing must stop. You are giving incompetent people undue advantage over the people. Review this process and send offenders to courts that are well run
The so-called ‘Office of the Public Defender’ needs to explain to Lagos citizens exactly what its mandate is...
Y should both innocent and guilty be sent to prison
When you have bad roads and bad officials using 'Agbero' to enforce laws on lagos roads. A system that has no system, abeg
In Nigeria prison , 85% are those that committed no crime . and this keep happening everyday by day .
Why not community service?