Recommendation (A/HRC/7/3/Add.4) Steps taken to implement the recommendations counsel from the moment of arrest; however it is often not respected;many detainees are unable to meet the bail conditions and once detained, the majority of detainees have no lawyer to act on their behalf because they cannot afford one • The Federal Legal Aid Council (LAC) suffers from limited capacity, with only 91 lawyers and a mandate confined to specific crimes, including murder, manslaughter, assault, stealing, affray and rape (armed robbery is excluded) • State level initiatives such as the Ogun state citizens’ rights department and the Lagos State Government Office of the Public Defender, which provide legal counsel to those who cannot afford it, are commendable but the capacity of such departments is limited. These bodies have restricted funding and it is unclear to what extent they are independent since they formally come under the state ministry of justice. A bill to extend the mandate of the LAC is pending before the National Assembly; however it has been pending for over three years Non-governmental sources: Although guaranteed by law, in practice, the detainees’ right to challenge the lawfulness of their detention and to be presented promptly before a court is compromised by poor record keeping, secrecy on the part of the police and dependent on their A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 page 79 (f) The power to order or approve arrest and supervision of the police and detention facilities should be vested solely with independent courts Situation during visit (A/HRC/7/3/Add.4)