Section 215 Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos

Section 215 Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, as amended in 2021, is about Failure to plead due to malice. It provides as follows:

If the defendant when called upon to plead stands mute of malice or will not or cannot answer directly when called upon to plead to the charge, the Court shall enter or cause to be entered a plea of not guilty for the defendant and the plea so entered shall have the same force and effect as if such defendant had actually pleaded the same, or else the Court shall then proceed to try whether the defendant is of sound or unsound mind in accordance with the provisions of sections 217 to 229 and if he is found to be of sound mind shall proceed with his trial.