Politics
Lagos Assembly: Bill to assist victims, protect witnesses scales second reading
A bill for a law to provide for the rights to entitlements by victims as well as the protection of witnesses in Lagos has scaled second reading at the state House of Assembly.
Members of the House said on Monday the bill would further endear the government to the governed and give residents confidence to speak out where victimisation has occurred.
The Speaker of the House, Rt (Hon) Mudashiru Obasa, said the bill will strengthen the administration of criminal justice.
He added that the bill would help build confidence in witnesses that would want to testify before the court.
Aside this, the Speaker said the bill would help motorists because most of them only have third party insurance which hardly work.
“This bill is for the society. It will give an assurance to witnesses that they are protected while testifying before the court. The bill will also protect victims of trafficking,” the Speaker said before committing the bill to the House Committee on Judiciary to report back in two weeks.
Earlier, the Chairman House Committee On Judiciary, Petitions, Human Rights and LASIEC, Hon. Victor Akande, told his colleagues that the bill would help to protect victims and as well provide assistance to them in the face of challenges.
Akande added the bill would provide for right to entitlement by victims, adding that there was need by the government to come to the aid of victims when such is needed.
In his contribution, Hon. Rotimi Olowo (Somolu 1) said that there are people who suffer from different forms of victimisation in the state.
He added that it is relatively difficult for victims to seek compensation, thus, there was need to protect them.
Olowo stated that the bill would provide for the establishment of an agency that would address the rights and protect victims and witnesses.
According to him, that the bill is for every resident of the state.
“If we look at what is happening in Nigeria and Lagos in particular, it shows that there is need to protect victims of disaster. The bill is to protect the rights of those that suffers injustice.
“The bill is for every strata of the society. A lot of people have suffered from different victimations, some people’s properties are taken over unjustly and so it is certain this bill will address all the issues. I will urge my colleagues to support it,” Olowo said.
Adding to the debate, Hon. Abiodun Tobun (Epe 2), said the bill takes care of the protection of witnesses that would testify in the court of law, adding that most witnesses are scared of testifying because of the fear of being victimised.
Tobun called the attention of the House to the provision of the bill that creates for the appointment of a board. He argued that the membership of the board should be subject to the ratification of the House.
The Leader of the House, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, said the bill is responsive to the yearnings of the people and that overtime there had been clamour by lawyers that justices should not be for society alone but also for victims.
Agunbiade said: “This bill is to recognise the right of the victims. The bill is to close the gap of waiting for police report before attending to victim of accident. The bill will allow witnesses to freely go to court without fear of testifying. This bill will attend to several lapses in the administration of criminal justice in Lagos state.”
In a related development, the bill to amend the Lagos state Pension Reform Law 2021 scale second reading on Monday as the bill was committed to the House Committee on Training and Establishment after extensive debate by the lawmakers.
The Rivers State House of Assembly, led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, has initiated impeachment proceedings against Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Deputy Ngozi Odu, issuing them a seven-day notice to respond to allegations of gross misconduct.
The Assembly cited eight specific allegations of gross misconduct as the basis for the move.
This is the third time Fubara and Odu would be facing impeachment proceedings from the Assembly since coming to office in 2023.
Attempts to impeach them in 2023 and 2025, amid political feuds between the Governor and his predecessor and erstwhile political god-father, now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, had been halted by presidential intervention.
Here are the allegations below:
1. Reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds
2. Unconstitutional misappropriation of public funds
3. Hindering the Rivers Assembly from performing its constitutional duties
4. Illegal appointments of persons without screening by the House of Assembly as provided by the Constitution
5. Seizure of salaries and funds meant for Assembly members
6. Seizure of salaries of the clerk of the Rivers House of Assembly, Emeka Amadi
7. Refusal to implement provisions of the Constitution on financial autonomy of the legislature and the judiciary
8. Withholding of funds meant for the running of the Rivers House of Assembly Service Commission and hindering its activities
Lilian Adebayo, the wife of the 2023 presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, has said that the party will unseat the ruling All Progressive Party at the 2027 election if Nigerians are true to themselves.
Mrs Adebayo made this assertion known on Wednesday during an interview with journalists after an event in Abuja.
According to her, the opposition party has overcome its crisis after the expulsion of its former chairman, Shehu Gabam and others.
She said Nigerians should vote the APC out in the 2027 general election due to the hardship the party has plunged citizens into.
“There is always a crisis in the party; the SPD has been able to handle its own. The problems in the party have been resolved.
“He has a great chance of winning the election if Nigerians are honest with themselves. If Nigerians think that the ones they consistently vote for would move the country forward, they live in denial,” she concerning the husband.
Recall that SDP recently expelled Gabam and other party executives.
The party’s state chairmen on Wednesday urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the police to investigate Gabam over alleged misappropriation.
In a significant political move, Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah officially defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Tuesday, October 14, 2025.
Mbah announced his decision during a televised broadcast in Enugu after weeks of speculation.
He said, “Today, after a long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the Peoples Democratic Party and join the All Progressives Congress.”
Mbah explained that his decision to join the PDP was informed by the need to reshape Enugu and reorganise the politics of the state.
“Today, I stand before you to announce a break from the past and to share a decision that will shape the road ahead. This concerns our values, how we organize ourselves politically and how we secure the future of our project and our people.
“Leadership sometimes demands painful decisions in the service of higher principles and goals. And there comes a time, when everyone must make a bold choice to determine their destiny.”
Ahead of the governor’s defection, all members of his cabinet had on joined the ruling party.
Governor Mbah’s Senior Media Aide, Dan Nwomeh, confirmed the mass defection in a video posted on his social media handles on Monday. In the video, several government officials were seen openly declaring their allegiance to the APC, chanting praises for President Bola Tinubu and affirming their commitment to the new party.
“Enugu State Cabinet Members join the APC with full chest along with Governor PN Mbah,” Nwomeh stated.
The officials, including commissioners and top aides, could be heard in the video declaring, “We are now in APC; tomorrow is here; it is APC all the way; it is Jagaban all the way; from top to bottom.”
The collective defection marks a significant political shift in Enugu State, which has been a PDP stronghold since 1999.
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