The Lagos state judiciary has trained 141 magistrates on the use of the Lagos Criminal Information System (LCIS), marking a significant step towards strengthening digital justice delivery in the state.
Speaking on behalf of the Chief Judge, Justice Kazeem Alogba, Justice Rahman Oshodi addressed participants at a “Do It Yourself” LCIS training held at the Lagos State Judicial Training Institute, GRA, weekend in Lagos.
He stated that the system has transformed the criminal justice process by replacing guesswork with accurate, data-driven insights, challenging long-standing public misconceptions.
Justice Oshodi noted that public understanding of the courts is often shaped by media narratives rather than actual judgments. One widely held belief, he said, is that over 90 percent of inmates in Nigeria’s correctional facilities are awaiting trial, an assumption that has fueled perceptions of a failing justice system.
However, he pointed to national data showing that about 64 percent of 80,812 inmates are awaiting trial, calling the figure troubling but still overstated in public discourse. In contrast, Lagos presents a different reality, thanks to LCIS.
Oshodi said the system precisely tracks when a defendant moves from awaiting trial to actively undergoing trial. Data from LCIS reveals that fewer than 10 percent of inmates in Lagos are truly awaiting trial, while nearly 60 percent have already been arraigned and are in the trial phase.
Since its launch in 2018, LCIS has processed over 74,000 cases, offering a comprehensive, biometric, and transparent database. It also improves efficiency by helping courts accurately identify custodial locations and avoid issuing duplicate warrants.
Oshodi cited the case of State of Lagos v. Olawale Olanrewaju, where the system uncovered a defendant who had remained in custody for years after his case was struck out, eventually leading to his arraignment and conviction.
