Lagos Group Rejects Inclusion of Law Officers’ Retirement Provisions in Magistrates’ Court Law Amendment
By KEMI KASUMU
According to the group, while Magistrates are judicial officers operating within the Judiciary, Law Officers are officers of the Executive arm attached to the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and regulated under the state’s Public Service framework.
A Lagos-based advocacy organisation, the Lagos Advocacy Group, has rejected the proposed inclusion of provisions seeking to extend the retirement age and years of service of Law Officers in the amendment of the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court Law, describing the move as an attempt to introduce an unrelated policy into legislation primarily concerned with the state’s Magistracy.
The group, in a statement signed by its Convener, Comrade Yakubu Eleto, Esq., who is also Publicity Secretary of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Epe Branch, on Saturday, September 5, 2026, said Magistrates and Law Officers are constitutionally and administratively distinct.
According to the group, while Magistrates are judicial officers operating within the Judiciary, Law Officers are officers of the Executive arm attached to the Lagos State Ministry of Justice and regulated under the state’s Public Service framework.
It therefore questioned the rationale for introducing provisions affecting Law Officers into the Magistrates’ Court Law.
The group said it had no objection to measures aimed at improving the welfare and working conditions of Magistrates, including proposals to increase their retirement age from 60 to 65 years and years of service from 35 to 40 years.
It also acknowledged the proposed increase in the monetary jurisdiction of Magistrates’ Courts from ₦10 million to ₦25 million, saying the proposal could be considered alongside appropriate safeguards and a broader review of the capacity and welfare of the courts.
However, the advocacy group warned that legitimate reforms for the Magistracy should not be used as a vehicle to introduce a separate policy affecting Law Officers.
“If the Lagos State Government genuinely considers it necessary to extend the retirement age of Law Officers, there is an appropriate and transparent legislative route for achieving that objective,” the group said.
It argued that Law Officers, being public servants, should have their conditions of service reviewed within the broader framework applicable to the Lagos State Public Service.
The group further questioned why Law Officers should receive preferential treatment over other professionals in the state public service.
“What makes Law Officers so uniquely deserving that they should be singled out from other professionals serving the Lagos State Public Service?” it asked, citing doctors, healthcare professionals, engineers, teachers, accountants, planners, surveyors, architects and administrators among other cadres.
The advocacy organisation also raised concerns about the welfare of serving Magistrates, claiming that some Magistrates still lack official vehicles several years after their appointment and are forced to commute using motorcycles, tricycles and commercial taxis.
It urged the government to prioritise the welfare of Magistrates and proposed that official vehicles should be provided to newly appointed Magistrates within three months of their appointment.
The group also expressed concern over the process through which the Law Officers’ provisions allegedly became part of the proposed amendment.
It claimed that, based on information it had received, the provisions were not openly presented as part of the legislative consideration attributed to the original sponsor, Hon. Ladi Ajomale, when the proposal was being considered.
It nevertheless stressed that its objection was not directed against Law Officers.
“This is not a battle against Law Officers. It is a battle for fairness, legislative integrity and the preservation of proper constitutional boundaries,” the statement said.
The group called on the Lagos State Government to make any proposed reform of Law Officers’ conditions of service public, consult relevant stakeholders and, where necessary, review the appropriate Public Service framework.
It also urged the Lagos State House of Assembly to subject the proposed amendment to thorough legislative scrutiny, warning against using an amendment Bill to introduce a substantially different subject matter without adequate justification, consultation and transparency.
The advocacy group further appealed to the Lagos State Governor and the Speaker of the House of Assembly to withdraw the contentious provisions relating to Law Officers from the proposed amendment to the Magistrates’ Court Law.
“Lagos must not legislate by stealth. Lagos must not institutionalise preferential treatment. Lagos must not sacrifice legislative integrity for sectional interest,” the group declared.
It urged the government to commence a broader and inclusive process if it intends to review the conditions of service of Law Officers, while commending efforts aimed at strengthening the Magistracy and improving access to justice in the state.
