The Lagos State Government has revealed that no fewer than 35,461 criminal cases were recorded across courts in the state within the last three years through the Lagos Criminal Information System (LCIS), a digital platform introduced to improve the administration of criminal justice.
Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Lawal Pedro, disclosed this on Thursday during the 2026 ministerial press briefing marking the seventh anniversary of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s administration.
According to Pedro, the LCIS has become one of the state government’s key reforms aimed at improving transparency, efficiency, and data management within the criminal justice system.
He explained that the platform serves as a comprehensive database for all criminal cases pending before Magistrate and High Courts in Lagos State, covering defendants in correctional facilities, suspects granted bail, and convicted persons.
“The system is a databank of all criminal cases pending in Magistrates and High Courts in Lagos State where the defendant is in custody in any of the correctional centres in Lagos State or granted bail by the court,” he said.
Pedro added that the system stores biometric information, photographs, offence records, and court details of individuals who have interacted with the criminal justice system in the state.
He disclosed that as of May 15, 2025, the LCIS had recorded a total of 84,297 criminal cases since inception. He noted that the system has now been expanded to include suspects granted bail on first court appearance as well as those who jump bail.
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 axis, with Lekki/Ajah alone accounting for over 16 per cent of all cases filed in court.
Other areas with high crime rates include Ikorodu, Alimosho, Lagos Mainland/Yaba, and Mushin.
According to Pedro, stealing-related offences remained the most common crimes in Lagos State, accounting for 44.7 per cent of all cases recorded within the period under review.
He also challenged the common belief that most inmates in correctional centres were awaiting trial. Citing data from the LCIS, Pedro said over 53 per cent of cases were already at trial stage, while the state had secured convictions in more than 24 per cent of the matters handled.
Only about 11.2 per cent of cases, he said, involved inmates awaiting trial or on remand.
Pedro noted that the state government had continued to deploy technology and digital innovations to strengthen crime prevention, investigation, prosecution, and trial processes across the justice sector.
On prison decongestion efforts, the Attorney-General disclosed that the Lagos State Government approved the release of 397 inmates from correctional facilities between 2023 and 2025 through the Prerogative of Mercy exercise.
He explained that the exercise is a constitutional power granted to the governor to offer clemency, pardon, release, or commutation of sentence to convicted persons based on recommendations from the Lagos State Advisory Council on the Prerogative of Mercy.
“The Prerogative of Mercy is the constitutional power vested in the Governor to grant relief to a person convicted of a criminal offence, usually after conviction and sentence. It is an act of grace or clemency exercised in appropriate circumstances to mitigate the rigours of the law,” he said.
Pedro stated that in 2023, the council reviewed 154 applications and recommended 49 inmates for release.
In 2024, the council reviewed 516 applications, recommended 163 inmates for release, and approved seven commutations of sentence.
He added that in 2025, 293 applications were reviewed, leading to the recommendation of 185 inmates for release, two commutations of sentence, and one full pardon.
Overall, the council received 963 applications within the review period, recommended 397 inmates for release, approved the commutation of nine death sentences to life imprisonment, and granted one full pardon.
Pedro said the exercise forms part of the state government’s broader criminal justice reforms aimed at ensuring fairness, rehabilitation, and reducing congestion in correctional centres across Lagos State.
