Recommendation (A/HRC/7/3/Add.4) detainee, and information on compulsory medical examinations upon being brought to a detention centre and upon transfer (k) Confessions made by persons in custody without the presence of a lawyer and that are not confirmed before a judge shall not be admissible as evidence against the persons who made the confession. Serious consideration should be given to video and audio taping of interrogations, including of all persons present Steps taken to implement the recommendations However, the tracking commences only when a detainee is produced before court, not at the point of arrest • It is normal for prison authorities to receive prisoners who bear signs of torture. Some prison officials refuse to accept detainees from the police because of the extent of their injuries Torture was frequently inflicted with the aim of • Non-governmental sources: The vast majority extracting confessions, which were used in court of convictions are based on confessions. Even proceedings despite existing legal safeguards. in those cases in which allegations of torture The criminal justice system relied heavily on are raised on the defendant’s behalf, and confessions. investigations regarding such allegations take place, the confessions extracted under torture are declared admissible by the judiciary in most cases • Once in court, the defendant and their counsel are responsible for documenting all incidences of torture and organizing medical examinations • Under the Evidence Act, confessions extracted under inducement, threat or promise cannot be used in court. In practice, confessions are often admitted as evidence in court • The new criminal procedures in Lagos State provide for video taping of interrogations; where no video is available, the lawyer of the suspect should attend the interrogation Non-governmental sources: Cases of torture or • Attempts to register complaints could be met with intimidation, or investigations lack other ill-treatment are dealt with internally within independence as they could be conducted by the Police and reportedly often informally within a A/HRC/10/44/Add.5 page 81 (l) All allegations of torture and ill-treatment should be promptly and thoroughly investigated by an independent authority with no Situation during visit (A/HRC/7/3/Add.4)