A community of human rights lawyers, Call a Lawyer, is worried over the rising cases of human right abuses against vulnerable people in Kano.
To effectively check the anomalies, Call a Lawyer is strengthening its network in partnership with Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) to render pro bono services to poor victims.
Addressing a human rights community meeting in Kano, Executive director, Call a Lawyer, Ekpa Stanley Ekpa, explained that human rights remained an inalienable rights of all citizens which should not be denied on an account of privilege or financial status.
Ekpa revealed that despite the conspicuous provisions of the constitution that protect all Nigerians against indignity, more than 65 per cent of residents in rural communities suffer violation of fundamental rights without recuse to justice.
The Call a Lawyer founder however challenged the rural dwellers to report any case of violation of their rights to the group for prompt free legal services intended to restore their dignity. Ekpa added that the group is committed to translate the constitution into major languages for better understanding.
He said the community meeting was designed to create community awareness on the provisions of human right laws; enable education of local communities on how to seek redress against violation of their fundamental rights and connect vulnerable individuals and communities to pro bono lawyers
“We are community of human rights lawyers committed to offer free legal services to vulnerable people who cannot afford the services of lawyers. Our meeting here in Kano today is to see how we can educate the people and get them familiar with the chapter 4 of the Constitution and make it in local languages for better understanding so that they can easily understand what to do when their right is being infringed upon.
“The violation of these rights is replete in many rural communities in Nigeria without recourse to remedies or justice for the victims, who in most cases are helpless and unaware of their fundamental rights.
“Such violations without redress or knowledge of the existence of their rights has adverse impact on the social wellbeing of people in rural communities who face life threatening and unbearably hardships due to such challenges.
“So, this community education is critical to build up knowledge, culture and awareness of the rights that individuals and communities are entitled to.
“We are taking the pursuit down to the grass root where critical issues of domestic abuse and assault, cruel cultural treatments and wide range of abuse of human rights domicile”. Ekpa explained.
On his part, Director General, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Aliyu Bagudu, pledged to take lead in the commitment of Call a Lawyer to further expand its statutory responsibility to less privilege in Nigeria.
Bagudu who was represented by Director International Operations, Mr. Bamidele Ibikunle, said the council will leverage of the pool of lawyers working with Call a Lawyer initiative to bridge its manpower deficit to better handle pro bono services.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Kano branch, Barrister Ibrahim Baba also reaffirmed total support of NBA to the Call a Lawyer project in the state.
