THE Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has said that 7,801 detainees have regained their freedom through its justice sector reform interventions across Nigeria.

It said the interventions form part of broader efforts aimed at addressing prolonged pre-trial detention and strengthening access to justice in the country.

The organisation also said more than 20,000 detainees have benefited from its wider prison reform and justice support programmes, which include legal aid services, detention monitoring, court automation support, and case management reforms.

PPDC Chief Executive Officer, Lucy Abagi, made the disclosure in Abuja yesterday, during the launch of the organisation’s 2025 Annual Report and other governance and justice sector publications.

She said the interventions were designed to reduce congestion in correctional centres and ensure that individuals are not kept in custody without trial due to systemic delays.

Abagi noted that many of the beneficiaries had spent months or years in detention without conviction, stressing that the reforms were targeted at correcting structural gaps in the justice system.

“Our work in the justice sector is aimed at ensuring that no one is left in detention simply because the system failed to function as it should,” she said.

According to her, PPDC’s legal support teams and duty solicitors played a central role in securing the release of thousands of detainees through bail applications, case reviews and sustained court engagement.

She also said the organisation handled dozens of pro bono cases, which led to the release and acquittal of hundreds of detainees, including indigent persons whose fines were paid to secure their freedom.

Beyond detention interventions, Abagi said PPDC had expanded its justice reform work through digital innovation, particularly the automation of courts and digitisation of case files to improve efficiency and transparency.

She disclosed that the Court Administration and Case Management Project had supported the automation of multiple courts across several states, improving case tracking and reducing delays in trial processes.

Abagi added that more than 11,000 court files had been archived and digitised under the initiative, describing it as a major step toward modernising Nigeria’s justice administration system.

She further said prison decongestion remained a core part of PPDC’s reform agenda, alongside efforts to strengthen accountability and transparency within justice institutions.

Abagi stressed that sustainable justice reform requires stronger collaboration between courts, correctional services and law enforcement agencies.

She added; “A functional justice system must guarantee timely trials, reduce prolonged detention, and ensure that justice is not delayed beyond what is reasonable for any citizen.”**

She also highlighted ongoing engagement with stakeholders to improve pre-trial processes and reduce unnecessary detention across the country.

Besides the justice system reforms, Abagi said PPDC’s latest assessment of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) revealed significant sustainability challenges, with about 80 per cent of the centres depending heavily on donor funding to remain operational.

She warned that the funding gap poses serious risks to the continuity of services for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence, calling for stronger government and institutional support.

According to her, “Sexual Assault Referral Centres remain critical to survivor care, but without stable funding and government ownership, their ability to deliver consistent services is seriously undermined.”

The PPDC boss reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to deepening reforms that promote faster, fairer and more accessible justice delivery, particularly for vulnerable and indigent citizens.

In his goodwill message, Senior Programme Officer of the International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) Nigeria, Abu Ayuba, commended PPDC’s interventions in the justice sector.

Ayuba said strengthening institutions with reliable data and sustained collaboration remains critical to addressing systemic challenges in the correctional and justice systems.

He urged stakeholders to ensure that the recommendations contained in the report are fully implemented to improve outcomes for detainees and strengthen justice delivery nationwide.

The report also called for improved coordination among justice sector actors and greater investment in digital systems to support case management and reduce delays in trial proceedings.