Lagos Proposes 65-Year Retirement Age for Magistrates

The Lagos State Government has proposed an amendment to the Magistrates Law to increase the retirement age of magistrates and law officers from 60 to 65 years. This change aims to address a career progression imbalance created by the Fifth Alteration (No. 37) Act 2023, which raised the retirement age of High Court judges from 65 to 70 years.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Lawal Pedro, SAN, stated that the amendment is necessary to retain experienced personnel, preserve institutional knowledge, and strengthen succession planning within the justice sector. Previously, the retirement of High Court judges at 65 allowed for the progression of Chief Magistrates and senior law officers, but with the new law, such vacancies will occur less frequently, creating a bottleneck.

Pedro emphasized that the amendment is not merely about extending employment for individual officers but correcting an unintended disparity in career advancement opportunities within the judiciary.