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

The Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, has clarified that the proposed amendment to increase the retirement age of magistrates and law officers in the state's courts is not an executive-sponsored bill. Instead, it is a private member's bill currently under consideration by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Pedro emphasized that the amendment is justified in light of the state's justice sector, which aims to strengthen and sustain its operations. The proposed increase in the retirement age aligns with an existing policy of harmonizing the conditions of service for law officers and magistrates, which has been in place since 1997. Pedro clarified that the reform targets law officers as a specialized professional cadre within the justice sector, rather than lawyers in general.

The amendment addresses the impact of a constitutional amendment that raised the retirement age of High Court judges from 65 to 70 years. This change has reduced the number of vacancies in the High Court, affecting career progression for magistrates and senior law officers. The proposed amendment aims to rectify this imbalance, retain experienced professionals, and promote succession planning within the justice sector.

It also provides officers with the discretion to retire at 60 or compulsory retirement at 65 or after 40 years of service, whichever comes first.