Section 7 Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) Lagos

Section 7 Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Lagos State, as amended in 2021, is about Search of place entered by person sought to be arrested. It provides as follows:

(1) If any person or Police Officer acting under a warrant of arrest or otherwise having authority to arrest, has reason to believe that the person to be arrested has entered into or is within any place, the person residing in or in charge of the place shall, on demand by such Police Officer or person acting for the Police Officer allow him free access and afford all reasonable facilities to search the place for the person sought to be arrested.

(2) If access to such place cannot be obtained under subsection (1), any such person or Police Officer may enter the place and search therein for the person to be arrested, and in order to effect an entrance into the place, may break open any outer or inner door or window of any house or place, whether that of the person to be arrested or of any other person or otherwise effect entry into such house or place, if after notification of his authority and purpose, and demand of admittance duly made, he cannot otherwise obtain admittance.

(3) Where the person to be arrested enters an apartment in the actual occupation of another person being a woman who by custom does not appear in public, the person making the arrest, before entering the apartment, shall give notice to such a woman that she is at liberty to withdraw and shall afford her every opportunity and facility for withdrawing, and may then enter the apartment; but the notice shall not be necessary if the person making the arrest is a woman.

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