The Ogun State Government has proposed a new law to abolish the long-standing practice of requiring families to wait 24 or 48 hours before reporting a missing person, saying immediate reporting is critical to improving rescue efforts and investigations.

The State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Oluwasina Ogungbade (SAN), disclosed this on Tuesday during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, while explaining one of four criminal justice reform bills recently approved by the Ogun State Executive Council for transmission to the State House of Assembly.

Ogungbade said the proposed Missing Persons Bill, alongside the GLOVES Bill and other criminal justice reform measures, seeks to establish a comprehensive legal framework for handling missing persons cases while strengthening law enforcement response and investigative efficiency.

According to him, the bill would outlaw delays in reporting missing persons by making it mandatory for such cases to be reported immediately.

"You probably would be aware of this practice where people will report others as missing only to be advised to wait for 24 hours or 48 hours before coming. That now is being outlawed. There's now a duty to report as early as possible," he said.

The Attorney-General stressed that research has consistently shown the first 24 hours after a person's disappearance are the most crucial for locating them.

"Research has shown that the first 24 hours are crucial in cases of missing persons," he added.

Ogungbade further explained that the proposed legislation would impose sanctions on individuals who fail to promptly report the disappearance of persons whose whereabouts they are reasonably expected to know.

"Where a person who ought to report—for example, a father who knows his child is missing, a mother who knows her daughter is missing, or anyone who is expected to know the whereabouts of another person—fails to do so, it carries a penalty under this law," he stated.

He noted that the Ministry of Justice receives numerous reports of missing children and adults but lamented that existing legal provisions do not adequately empower security agencies to respond swiftly.

The Attorney-General cited unresolved cases, including that of a former Olabisi Onabanjo University student who reportedly disappeared after leaving campus to visit her boyfriend in Sagamu, as well as another woman who went missing in Ota.

He said investigators often encounter delays in obtaining banking records, telecommunications data and other critical information needed to trace missing persons.

"It's been one challenge or the other getting access to data that would help law enforcement to track their movements," he lamented.

To address these challenges, Ogungbade said the proposed law would strengthen collaboration between the Ministry of Justice, the Nigeria Police Force and the judiciary, enabling investigators to access vital records more quickly.

He explained that the bill empowers the police and other law enforcement agencies to obtain ex parte court orders granting access to records held by service providers. In emergency situations, however, security agencies would be permitted to request such records directly, with legal penalties for anyone who refuses to comply.

"There will be collaboration between my office and the Office of the Commissioner of Police as expressly stated in the bill, and also with the judiciary. This bill makes provision for the police or any law enforcement agency to apply ex parte to obtain certain records from service providers. In extreme cases, the police can write directly to the person holding those records to make them available under penalty of law," he explained.

Ogungbade also revealed that the legislation introduces rapid-response protocols for child abduction cases, including immediate alerts to transport unions, motor parks and other relevant agencies to prevent abducted children from being taken out of Ogun State.

"My office will be working in concert with the Commissioner of Police of Ogun State, putting certain people on standby. Because in most cases, when you steal a child, you first have to transport that child outside Ogun State. So there will be protocols in place, including alerting all major motor parks and transport unions," he said.

He expressed confidence that the proposed legislation would significantly strengthen Nigeria's efforts to combat ritual killings, human trafficking and human sacrifice, describing it as a landmark reform capable of transforming the country's response to missing persons cases.