Section 67 Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos

Section 67 Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, as amended in 2021, is about Courts may assume jurisdiction under certain conditions. It provides as follows:

(1) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 58, 61 and 62, a Judge or Magistrate of a Division or District in which a person is arrested and charged with an offence alleged to have been committed in another division or district; or
(a) is in custody on such a charge; or

(b) has appeared in answer to summons lawfully issued charging such offence,
may if he considers that justice would be better served and having regard to the accessibility and convenience of witness, proceed to hear the charge, try and punish the defendant as if the offence had been committed in the Division or District.

(2) The offence referred to in subsection (1) of this section shall for all purposes be deemed to have been committed in that Division or District.

(3) If at any time during the course of any proceedings taken against the defendant before any Court pursuant to this Section, it appears that the defendant would suffer hardship if he is proceeded against and tried in the Division or District, the Court shall, without prejudice to a Magistrate’s powers under section 62, cease to proceed further in the matter.

(4) Where any person is charged with two or more offences, he may be proceeded against, tried and punished in respect of all those offences in any Division or District in which he could be proceeded against, tried or punished in respect of any of those offences, and all the offences with which that person is charged shall, for all purposes be deemed to have been committed in that Division or District.

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