Again, the Oyo House of Assembly, on Tuesday, approved the extension of the tenure of caretaker chairmen for the 33 local government areas in the state for another two months.
The latest extension, as requested by Governor Abiola Ajimobi, followed the expiration of an earlier three months extension which lapsed on October 17.
On why the Assembly granted the request, the speaker, Honourable Micheal Adeyemo, said the development was to prevent a vacuum in local government administration, adding that the extension did not run into the February 2017 stipulated time for local government election.
He, therefore, expressed firm belief that the local government election would hold, as scheduled.
Furthermore, the Assembly approved Ajimobi’s request to appoint five additional special advisers.
With a view to ensuring speedy and efficient administration of criminal justice in the state, the Assembly also passed into law the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, 2016.
The bill sponsored by Honourable Micheal Adeyemo, Abdulwasi Musah, Solomon Akande and Muideen Olagunju, addresses withholding charge, provides for compensation for victims rather than just conviction and mandates that the police should not obtain statement from an arrested person without the presence of a lawyer.
The chairman, Committee on Judiciary and Justice, Honourable Olukayode Akande, added that the law recognises suspension of parole for a defendant serving a sentence, where it is established that the person had improved in character, upon a condition that such person will not commit an offence again.
The law in parts provides that, “Where a woman found guilty of a capital offence is pregnant, the sentence of death shall be passed on her execution shall be suspended until the baby is delivered and weaned.
“Where a convict ,who in the opinion of the court had not attained the age of 18 years at the time the offence was committed is found guilty of a capital offence, sentence of death shall not be pronounced or recorded but in lieu of it, the court shall sentence the child to life imprisonment or to such other term as the court may deem appropriate in consideration of the principles in section 402 of this law.”
“A police officer making an arrest or to whom a private person hands over the person arrested, shall immediately record information about the person arrested and an inventory of all items or property recovered from the person arrested.”
With a view to reintroducing Higher School Certificate (HSC) and Advanced Level (A level) programme in public secondary schools in the state, the Assembly has mandated the House Committee on Education, Science and Technology to meet with relevant stakeholders on why the HSC and A level and the possibility of returning the programmes to public schools.
In the wake of Sunday’s accident which claimed the lives of four students of Federal Government Girls’ College, Owinni, Oyo, the Assembly granted the prayer of Honourable Gbenga Oyekola of Atiba constituency, on the need for the Oyo State Road Maintenance Agency to see to fixing roads in the state.
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