THE decision of the Lagos and Kaduna State governments to set up DNA Forensic centres is welcome news. Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, said his state is working hard to establish its DNA centre to tackle issues related to disease outbreaks and criminal investigations. The governor, at a public forum last week, explained that the Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) centre would help the state with the genetic history of diseases and aid the tracking of criminal elements wherever they might be in the country. The Lagos State Government, on its part, signed an agreement for the establishment of the Lagos State DNA Forensic Centre (LSDFC) last week. The State’s Attorney- General and Commissioner of Justice, Mr. Adeniji Kazeem, signed on behalf of the government while Dr. Richard Somiasi signed on behalf of the technical partner, ITSC Bioscience LCC, Lagos.

The LSDFC is to be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to support all levels of DNA analysis and provide evidential DNA storage. When operational, it will facili­tate prompt and effective prosecution of criminals and aid in the investigation of domestic and sexual violence. It will also help to resolve family and paternity issues, as well as aid the identification of corpses, especially victims of disasters.

We commend the Lagos and Kaduna state governments on this initiative and wish them a quick and successful deliv­ery of the projects. The wonders of DNA science and technology have been around for more than 40 years. DNA testing has been found to be scientific, conclusive, ex­peditious and foolproof. It has been used to establish genealogy, paternity, ancestry, geographic origins of human groups, as well as determine latent biological disor­ders, diseases, as well as make predictions on vulnerabilities.

Related News

Indeed, the first criminal conviction based on DNA evidence happened exactly 30 years ago. Two semen samples from two rapes/murders that had occurred three years apart (1983 and 1986) matched the perpetrator’s DNA in a small village in Leicestershire, UK. An innocent man im­plicated in the murders was exonerated. DNA testing has revolutionised the crimi­nal justice system throughout the world. Nigeria should not be an exception.

We appeal to the Federal Ministry of Jus­tice to work with all the law enforcement agencies in the country on the establish­ment of DNA databases in all jurisdic­tions to assist in the detection and preven­tion of crimes. In the United States, in the 1980s, the Federal Government created “a system of national, state and local DNA database for the storage and exchange of DNA profiles that are available to law en­forcement agencies across the country.” The system is one of the reasons crimi­nals have no hiding place in the US. Most states require all convicted felons to pro­vide DNA samples. Suspects for serious violent crimes like rapes, murders and kidnappings are also required to provide DNA samples. When these databases are linked to a national identification system, it constitutes a more secure environment for the protection of lives and property, thereby lightening the work of the police. Thus, for the nation to fight crime in any meaningful way, the National Identity Card project and the DNA forensic da­tabases must be established and made to work side by side. The examples of Lagos and Kaduna states are, indeed, encour­aging and should be emulated by all the states. But, if the Federal Government means to secure life and property in the country, it should have a functional DNA database.

Not much is known about what hap­pened to the reported plan of the federal government to establish forensic labora­tories as part of the celebration of the na­tion’s 50th independence anniversary in 2010. The Nigeria Police, some years ago, had also said it would establish a foren­sic centre. These plans should be imple­mented and the forensic centres quickly brought on stream to ensure widespread availability of forensic laboratories in the country. All the DNA centres in the coun­try should also be streamlined for greater effectiveness.