Nigeria losing criminal cases over weak evidence— Sanwo-Olu

….Advocates forensic-led investigationsBy Juliet Umeh & Esther Chukwuchebem

LAGOS—Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has expressed concern that Nigeria is losing thousands of criminal cases annually due to weak and insufficient evidence, warning that the trend is undermining the administration of justice and efforts to tackle emerging forms of crime.

Speaking at the opening of the 2026 Global Forensics Summit in Lagos, Sanwo-Olu said many criminal cases collapse in court, not because suspects are unavailable, but because investigators fail to present evidence capable of withstanding judicial scrutiny.

Represented by the pioneer Permanent Secretary of the Citizens’ Mediation Bureau, CMB, Mrs. Aderinsola Olanrewaju, the governor described the challenge as a “forensic gap” and called for increased adoption of forensic science and criminal intelligence tools in investigations.

According to him, “Every year, thousands of criminal cases in Nigeria stall, not for want of witnesses, not for want of suspects, but for want of evidence that can withstand scrutiny in the court of law.”