BENJAMIN OMOIKE I Thursday, May 21.26
LAGOS, Nigeria – Lagos State Government has disclosed that 35,461 criminal cases were filed across courts in the state over the last three years, with Lekki, Ajah, and Lagos Island emerging as major crime hotspots.
The figures were revealed through the Lagos Criminal Information System (LCIS), a digital database introduced to improve criminal justice administration, transparency, and data management in the state.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, made the disclosure on Thursday during the 2026 Ministerial Press Briefing marking the third year of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s second term in office.
Pedro said the LCIS serves as a central repository for criminal cases before Magistrate and High Courts in Lagos State, including records of suspects in custody, defendants granted bail, convicted persons, and individuals who abscond after being released on bail.
According to him, the system contains biometric data, photographs, offence histories, and court records of persons who have interacted with the criminal justice system in Lagos.
He disclosed that the LCIS had recorded a cumulative total of 84,297 criminal cases as of May 15, 2025.
The Attorney-General further revealed that more than 27 per cent of criminal cases recorded within the last three years originated from the Lagos Island and Lekki-Ajah corridor, with the Lekki-Ajah axis alone accounting for over 16 per cent of all cases filed in court.
Other areas with high crime records include Ikorodu, Alimosho, Lagos Mainland/Yaba, and Mushin.
Pedro stated that stealing-related offences remained the most common crimes in the state, representing 44.7 per cent of all cases captured on the LCIS during the review period.
He also challenged the widespread belief that most inmates in correctional centres are awaiting trial, explaining that LCIS data showed over 53 per cent of cases were already at trial stage, while more than 24 per cent had resulted in convictions.
According to him, only 11.2 per cent of the cases involved inmates awaiting trial or held on remand.
Pedro said the Lagos State Government has continued to deploy technology and digital reforms to strengthen crime prevention, investigation, prosecution, and judicial processes.
On prison decongestion efforts, the Attorney-General disclosed that the state approved the release of 397 inmates between 2023 and 2025 through the Prerogative of Mercy initiative.
He explained that the Prerogative of Mercy is a constitutional power that allows the governor to grant pardon, release, or commutation of sentences to convicted persons based on recommendations from the Lagos State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
According to Pedro, the council reviewed 154 applications in 2023 and approved 49 inmates for release.
In 2024, it reviewed 516 applications, recommended 163 inmates for release, and approved seven commutations of sentence.
For 2025, the council reviewed 293 applications, approved 185 inmate releases, granted two commutations, and issued one full pardon.
Overall, the council processed 963 applications within the three-year period, resulting in the release of 397 inmates, the commutation of nine death sentences to life imprisonment, and one full pardon.
Pedro said the initiative forms part of broader criminal justice reforms aimed at promoting fairness, rehabilitation, and reducing congestion in custodial centres across Lagos State.
