Lagos recovers over ₦815m, $52,000 for indigent residents in 25 years

The Lagos State Government has disclosed that the Office of the Public Defender (OPD), now renamed the Bureau of Public Defender (BPD), has recovered more than ₦815 million and $52,000 in compensation for indigent residents since its establishment 25 years ago.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos state, represented by Bolaji Dada, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation announced this yesterday at the bureau’s silver jubilee celebration held in Victoria Island.

Sanwo-Olu recalled that the OPD, established in 2000 under then Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, as Attorney-General, had grown into a crucial pillar of the state’s justice system.

“The OPD was born of a vision to make justice available to every Lagosian, not just the privileged. Today, that vision has become a reality,” he said.

According to him, the bureau has handled nearly 50,000 court cases, resolved more than 14,000 petitions through mediation, and achieved an 86 per cent success rate in litigation.

“The most remarkable achievement is not in the numbers but in the human stories—families reunited, dignity restored, victims of abuse protected, and voices once silenced now heard,” the governor added.

Sanwo-Olu explained that the office was upgraded to the Bureau of Public Defender on March 20, 2025, to improve efficiency and extend its services across the state. He urged the agency to embrace digital innovation, strengthen collaborations and deepen its mission to protect the vulnerable.

Also speaking, Lawal Pedro, the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, described the OPD as a legacy of visionary leadership, revealing that it had processed more than 200,000 petitions since inception.

“The OPD was created under the visionary leadership of Governor Bola Tinubu, now President, with Prof. Yemi Osinbajo as Attorney-General.

“From a modest unit under the Directorate for Citizens’ Rights, it has become a full-fledged agency with its headquarters in Surulere and nine offices across the state—from Ajegunle to Ajah, Ikorodu to Epe, Badagry, Agege, Ogba and Alimosho,” Pedro recalled.

He noted that the bureau’s journey demonstrated how collaboration between government, the Bar, the Bench and civil society could strengthen the rule of law and protect the vulnerable.

“I was there at the beginning, when the OPD was first conceived as a bold response to the urgent need to make justice accessible to every indigent Lagosian.

“To stand here 25 years later and see how far it has come is both humbling and inspiring,” Pedro said, reflecting on its growth.