Section 142 Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos

Section 142 Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, as amended in 2021, is about Methods of stating ownership of property. It provides as follows:

Where in any summons, warrant of any description, charge sheet, information or any document whatsoever issued by a Court in the exercise of its criminal jurisdiction or filed in Court, it is necessary to refer to the ownership of any property whether movable or immovable which belongs to or is in the possession of more than one person, the following provisions shall apply—

(a) if the property belonged to or was in the possession of more than one person whether as partners in trade or otherwise, joint tenants, tenants in common or other joint owners or possessors it may be described in the name of any one of such persons and another or others;

(b) if the property belonged to Joint Stock Companies, Company, a Limited liability Partnership, Association, Club or Society, it may be described by its legal or registered title;

(c) property belonging to or provided for the use of any public establishment, service or department may be described as the property of the State;

(d) where it is necessary to state the ownership of any church, chapel, mosque or building or place set apart for religious worship or of anything belonging to or being in the same, it may be stated that such church, chapel, mosque, or building or place, or such thing is the property of any clergyman, minister or other person officiating therein or of the church warden or church wardens of such church, chapel or building or place, without being necessary to mention his name;

(e) where it is necessary to state the ownership of any money or other property whatsoever in the charge, custody, or under the control of any public officer such money or property may be stated to be the money or property of the State;

(f) where it is necessary to state the ownership of any work or building made, erected or maintained either wholly or in part at the expense of the public revenue of the State or of any part or of any town, or village or of any local authority, or of anything belonging to or being in or used in relation to the
same, or of anything provided for the use of any part or of any public institution or establishment, or of any materials or tools provided or used for repairing any such work or building or any public road or highway, or of any other property whatsoever, whether movable or immovable as aforesaid, it shall be sufficient to state that such property is the property of the State or of the township, town, or village, or of any local authority, as the case may be, without naming any of the inhabitants of any such areas or jurisdictions.

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