Lagos State House of Assembly (LSHA) has amended the Criminal Justice Law of the State barring the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) from parading suspects before the media.
In passing the new bill, the Assembly amended Section 9(A) of the new bill to state thus: “As from the commencement of this law, the police shall refrain from parading any suspect before the media.”
At a sitting presided over by Deputy Speaker, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, on behalf of Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, the House also amended the new bill to stipulate conditions under which a policeman can make an arrest without a warrant.
One of such conditions is that a person must reasonably be suspected to unlawfully be in possession of firearms or other such dangerous instruments.
Similarly, a sub-section of the bill also barred the police or any other agency from arresting a person “in lieu of any other person in a criminal matter”.
It further states that a person arrested “shall be given reasonable facilities for obtaining legal advice, bail or making arrangements for defence or release.”
In addition, the Bill states that: “A suspect should also be ‘accorded humane treatment, with the right to dignity of the person; not subjected to any form of torture, cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment; be brought before the court as prescribed by this law or any other written law; or be released conditionally or unconditionally.”
With a voice vote, the Assembly thereafter directed the acting Clerk of the House, Olalekan Onafeko, to officially transmit the bill to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu for assent.
