Retirement age bill for Lagos magistrates, law officers not executive-sponsored – Attorney-General

Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, has clarified that the proposed amendment to the state's Magistrates Law, which seeks to increase the retirement age of magistrates and law officers, is not an Executive Bill. The bill is currently a Private Member's Bill before the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Pedro stated this in a press release on Monday, amidst controversy surrounding the proposal. He emphasized that the amendment is justified in the interest of strengthening and sustaining the state's justice sector. The policy of harmonizing the conditions of service for law officers and magistrates in Lagos State has been in place since 1997.

Pedro clarified that the reform targets law officers as a specialized professional cadre involved in justice administration, rather than lawyers generally. This amendment aims to address the unintended consequences of raising the retirement age of High Court judges, which has affected career progression for experienced magistrates and law officers.

The proposed amendment would allow officers to retire at 60, with compulsory retirement at 65 or after 40 years of service, whichever comes first. Pedro urged the public to evaluate the bill based on its rationale and policy implications, rather than emotions or sentiment.