Section 9(A) of the newly passed bill states: “As from the commencement of this law, the police shall refrain from parading any suspect before the media.”

A subsection of the bill also barred the police or any other agency from arresting a person “in place of any other person in a criminal matter.”

The Lagos House of Assembly yesterday, in a newly amended version of the Criminal Justice Law of the State, passed unanimously by members, prohibited personnel of the police force from henceforth parading suspects before the media.

The Deputy Speaker of the House, Wasiu Eshilokun-Sanni, presided over the business of the day, on behalf of the Speaker, Right Honourable (Dr) Mudashiru Obasa.

Section 9(A) of the newly passed Bill provides thus:

“As from the commencement of this law, the police shall refrain from parading any suspect before the media.”

The Bill further expressly stated conditions under which a policeman can arrest without a warrant, and one of such grounds is that the person must be reasonably suspected to be in possession of firearms or other such dangerous instruments without lawful authority.

The Bill also expressly barred the police or any other sister agency from arresting a person in place of a criminal act of another, as there is no vicarious liability in criminal law.

The bill also prohibited the police from subjecting suspects in custody from being subjected to degrading treatment, torture, etc.

It is no news that the high handedness of the now-disbanded special anti-robbery squad (SARS) was one major reason Nigerians took to the street in a massive protest that ended in the killing of innocent protesters in November last year.

This new is a massive addition to the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, which had earlier prohibited the police from taking a confessional statement from a suspect without a video facility or in the absence of a video facility, in the presence of his lawyer.

Section 9(3) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State provides thus:

"Where any person who is arrested with or without a warrant volunteers to make a confessional statement the Police shall ensure that the making and taking of such statement is recorded on video, and the said recording and copies of it may be produced at the trial provided that in the absence of a video facility, the said statement shall be in writing in the presence of a legal practitioner of his choice."

The court has in the past discharged accused persons for failure to comply with section 9(3) of the criminal justice law. Despite this step by the court, the police still engage in the business of taking statements from suspects or writing their statements, contrary to the position of the law.

Do you think this new law will change anything?

Let's hear your thoughts.

I rise.

Lagos state is really testing our laws by challenging the archaic dominance by the federal law.

This will go a long way in curbing the archaic excesses practice by our ailing policing.

Then, media trial will finally by laid to rest.

Imo state should follow suit!