LAGOS STATE SET TO BE THE SAFEST PLACE TO LIVE, WORK – ATTORNEY-GENERAL
Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem has stated that Lagos would soon be the safest place to live, work and transact business in view of the current administration’s policy and initiatives to enhance security in the State.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the 5th Crime Scene Management Training organised by the German Development Cooperation (GIZ) for the Officers of the Nigerian Police Force at the Lagos State DNA & Forensic Centre, Lagos, Mr. Kazeem said the training would expose the participants to current methods and international best practices used in crime scene processing and documentation which will lead to quicker dispensation of justice in Lagos State.
According to him, all over the world, Crime Scene Management requires effective recognition and identification of physical and biological evidence, collection and preservation of evidence, documentation and scientific analysis of evidence and presentation of impartial facts in the court.
“To facilitate and achieve these crucial goals, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode commissioned a world-class edifice that we are using today. Since its commissioning, the Centre has received over 350 applications from within and outside of Nigeria, and over 50 of those cases have been successfully solved”, he added.
The Commissioner disclosed further that, owing to the high incidence of alcohol and drug-related accidents and deaths in the State, government has approved the inclusion of a toxicology unit as an additional forensic section to complement the DNA centre and address the needs of the citizenry.
He averred that the Crime Scene training is therefore very important and apt as the Nigerian Police will be better equipped on how to manage crime scenes and ensure same is preserved for adequate collection and preservation of physical evidence as well as processing for use in court to resolve cases unequivocally.
The Commissioner maintained that the evolving partnership between the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), Nigerian Police Forensic Team and Forensic Centre is significant and a sign of progress in advancing the administration of criminal Justice in Lagos State and the Federation.
In his remarks, the Inspector-General of Police, who was represented by DIG Emmanuel Inyang, Head of Training and Development, thanked the State government for its cordial relationship with the Police.
He said the two-week crime scene training programme will be of immense benefit to the officers and would go a long way in ensuring quick administration of Justice, not only in Lagos State but in Nigeria as a whole.