The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have launched a N120 million strategic partnership to provide pro bono legal representation for vulnerable children across Nigeria, amid concerns over child detention, weak referral systems and limited access to justice.

The initiative, unveiled in Abuja on monday is designed to mobilise lawyers nationwide to represent children who are victims of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and other violations, as well as children who come into conflict with the law.

Speaking at the launch, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the partnership marked a shift from broad commitments on child protection to a structured legal response capable of ensuring that vulnerable children have lawyers when they need them.

Osigwe said the absence of legal representation for children facing abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage, harmful traditional practices or criminal proceedings amounted to a collective failure of society.

He challenged every NBA branch, law firm and legal practitioner to dedicate professional time and resources to child-related cases, insisting that pro bono representation should become an integral part of legal practice.

According to him, the partnership will mobilise lawyers to provide quality pro bono representation, strengthen referral pathways between justice and child-protection institutions, build lawyers’ capacity to handle child-sensitive cases and promote a justice system centred on the best interests of the child.

“This is not simply an act of charity. It is an act of justice,” Osigwe said, stressing that the true measure of the legal profession should include its ability to protect vulnerable people and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law.

He urged lawyers to ensure that a child who survives abuse has access to representation, while children unlawfully detained or denied due process are promptly defended.

Osigwe also called on lawyers to intervene where children face incarceration, stressing that children must not be detained alongside adults and should instead be placed in age-appropriate facilities.

He disclosed that the partnership, valued at N140 million, could attract additional funding from UNICEF if successfully implemented.

Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation ( AGF)  and Minister of Justice, the Director of criminal justice and reforms department  in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, said the Federal Government was strengthening the legal and institutional framework for child justice.

She said Nigeria had already established important foundations through the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, state Child Rights Laws, diversion initiatives and restorative justice mechanisms.

A major development, she noted, was the recognition of “Justice for Children” as a distinct thematic area in the National Policy on Justice 2025.

She said the policy prioritises children’s rights awareness, expanded legal aid, diversion and restorative justice, ending unnecessary detention of children, child-friendly courts, specialised services and stronger institutional capacity.

Ayoola-Daniels, however, warned that legislation and policy would have little impact unless translated into practice at police stations, courts, correctional facilities and within communities.

She said the Federal Ministry of Justice had developed and was deploying the Prosecutors’ Guidelines on Handling Cases Involving Children and the Legal Aid Guidelines for Children in Contact with the Law, with support from UNICEF.

Other measures include the Non-Custodial Sentencing Guidelines, 2020 for the FCT High Court and a Harmonised Restorative Justice Training Curriculum and Manual aimed at promoting accountability, rehabilitation and reintegration rather than unnecessary criminalisation.

She further disclosed that the Child Rights Act was undergoing a clause-by-clause review following the inauguration of a review committee.

According to her, the proposed amendments are expected to modernise the law to address contemporary challenges including digital safety, child marriage and justice reform, while strengthening provisions on legal representation, diversion, alternatives to detention, child participation and implementation.

UNICEF Representative, Wafaa Saeed, said the partnership was founded on the principle that no child should be denied justice because of lack of legal representation.

Saeed said children across Nigeria still encounter detention without legal representation, delays in case management, limited diversion opportunities, weak referral systems and inadequate support services.

She described access to justice as not merely a legal issue but also a child-protection, development and human-dignity issue.

She said UNICEF and the NBA would work to strengthen lawyers’ capacity, improve referral mechanisms, support diversion and rehabilitation and expand quality legal representation for children.

Saeed challenged the NBA to mobilise lawyers in every branch of the federation, proposing that if every practising lawyer handled even one pro bono child-justice case annually, it could significantly expand access to justice for vulnerable children.

The partnership brings together the NBA, UNICEF, Federal Ministry of Justice, judiciary, law-enforcement agencies, correctional authorities, Legal Aid Council, civil society organisations and other child-protection stakeholders.

The initiative is expected to create a more coordinated national framework in which children can obtain legal assistance from the earliest point of contact with the justice system, while strengthening the use of diversion, rehabilitation and child-sensitive procedures.