With over 20 million citizens, Lagos is unarguably the most populous State in Nigeria. With this comes, the inevitable challenges of administering justice. From petty crimes to capital offences, the wheels of justice keep running as smoothly as many would not expect, in such a cosmopolitan and ethnically diverse State. In the first interview of 2026 with Onikepo Braithwaite and Jude Igbanoi, Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Lawal Pedro, SAN, fondly called “Peddy”, affirmed that he is undaunted in spite of these humongous challenges. He also spoke about the humble strides he has achieved in the past two and a half years, in the areas of access to justice, law review, digitalisation, and the welfare of judicial officers. He also took time to clarify some misconceptions about the recent demolition of properties in some parts of the State, particularly Makoko
Kindly, give us a brief overview of the agenda you set for yourself and your Ministry, in terms of improving justice delivery in Lagos State, when you assumed the position of Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice. What have you achieved so far, in this regard? Lagos has always been seen as a pace setter in the administration of justice sector, how have you lived up to this reputation?
When I assumed office as Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, my agenda was firmly anchored on strengthening the rule of law, improving access to justice, modernising justice delivery, and positioning the justice sector as a catalyst for governance, security, and economic growth, in alignment with Governor Babajide Olusola Sanwo-Olu’s THEMES+ Agenda, particularly the Governance and Security pillar.