Babatunde Fashola, Lagos State governor has signed an executive order establishing a sex offenders’ register on December 1, at the Lagos House, Ikeja.
Rahman Ipaye, Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Lagos State while speaking at the event expressed concerns that the growing rate of sexual abuse and child abuse in the state call for urgent attention.
He stated that the director of public prosecution has sped up prosecution and legal advice of sexual cases in the state from the usual three months to 21 days.
Ipaye explained that the state is working with other organizations to eradicate issues of sexual abuse. He said the state government is also working with LAMATA and LAGBUS on enlightenment campaign in order to pass information across to people.
Fashola, while speaking at the ceremony, said that the state is dealing with crimes against women and children.
He said efforts should not be concentrated only on big crimes arguing that if they are not curtailed on time, they will grow into big crimes that will later threaten the state. “If the only reason we set up our state policies is to protect our women and children, then I think it is a good reason,” Fashola explained.
He stated that sexual abuse should not only have a register where criminals’ data are placed, but reporting such offences should also be made mandatory whether it is settled in the family or not.
Fashola said such data would be uploaded online and made available to the public for easy access.
The governor explained that the essence of the register is to provide names and other details of convicted sex offenders in the state on a central database.
He said the database will be accessible to whoever needs such information, such as school proprietors who will need to do background checks before recruiting a staff.
WhatsApp us