The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has restated its commitment to building a fair, transparent, and accountable justice system in Nigeria, as it empowered over 20,000 detainees through its flagship Access to Justice Parley.
Speaking at the 2025 Access to Justice Parley in Abuja, themed “Justice, Security, and Governance — A Unified Agenda for Nigeria’s Sustainable Development,” the Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, Lucy Abagi, said the organisation remains focused on making justice work for every Nigerian.
“Through the Reforming Pretrial Detention in Nigeria Project (Phase II), PPDC has provided free legal representation to over 20,009 detainees, leading to the release of 8,552 individuals who had been unlawfully detained without trial.
“The organisation’s Police Duty Solicitors Scheme, now operational in 50 police stations across the country, ensures that suspects receive immediate legal support at the point of arrest, reducing arbitrary detentions and easing congestion in correctional facilities,” she said.
Abagi also revealed that PPDC has paid over N5 million in fines, securing the freedom of more than 60 convicted detainees, while supporting jail delivery exercises to decongest facilities across several states.
Highlighting the Centre’s push for technology-driven justice, Abagi said the organisation has upgraded the Correctional Information Management System in 16 custodial centres, improving inmate data tracking and case management.
In partnership with the FCT Judiciary, PPDC has also introduced an electronic filing and case management system to digitise court processes, while a collaboration with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) has produced a digital case monitoring tool that tracks legal aid cases nationwide.
The CEO said under its Court Administration and Case Management Initiative, PPDC has equipped 24 courts — soon to reach 44 — across Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Ebonyi, and Oyo States with speech-to-text technology, replacing slow manual systems and helping courts record proceedings in real time.
Additionally, PPDC has facilitated over 2,370 virtual court sessions, distributed 3,000 copies of policy manuals on the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), and trained 1,746 judges, prosecutors, and investigators to strengthen justice delivery.
“We are building a justice system that is transparent, data-driven, and human-centred,” Abagi noted. “What we have achieved so far is only the beginning of the transformation Nigeria deserves,” Abagi added.
In her goodwill message on behalf of Muchaneta Phildah Mundopa, Head of the Justice, Integrity, and Health Unit of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Melissa Omena praised PPDC’s leadership in advancing justice reforms in Nigeria.
“UNODC is proud to walk alongside Nigeria in strengthening justice, security, and governance — three pillars essential to sustainable development,” Omena said.
She commended Nigeria’s adoption of the UN Common Position on Incarceration, which promotes a shift from punitive to rehabilitative justice, and highlighted the deployment of virtual court systems in Lagos, Kaduna, Gombe, and the FCT, supported by UNODC, INL, and PPDC.
Representing the Comptroller-General of Corrections, Jerry Dauda, Esq., described justice, security, and governance as “interdependent pillars that sustain peace and development,” while reaffirming the Service’s commitment to correctional reforms anchored on rehabilitation and reintegration.
Also speaking, Pwadumdi Okoh, Esq., representing the Executive Secretary of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr. Anthony Ojukwu, SAN, said access to justice remains a fundamental human right that underpins democracy and sustainable growth.
She urged continued reforms based on human rights, inclusivity, and accountability, noting that Nigeria’s adoption of the Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights would help balance national security with respect for human dignity.
In his keynote remarks, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Law Reform Commission, Prof. Dakas Dakas, SAN, commended the PPDC for its strategic leadership in advancing justice reforms and promoting transparency across Nigeria’s justice institutions.
The Professor of Law emphasised that sustainable development is impossible without a justice system that protects human rights and ensures equal access for all citizens.
Prof. Dakas called for deeper collaboration between government institutions, civil society, and the private sector to strengthen the rule of law and ensure that reforms translate into tangible benefits for ordinary Nigerians.
He noted that the Commission is currently reviewing several laws to align them with international human rights standards and the evolving realities of the digital age.
According to him, “the modernisation of Nigeria’s legal and judicial frameworks must go hand in hand with investments in technology, human capacity, and institutional accountability.”
He lauded PPDC’s digital justice innovations, describing them as a model for other African countries seeking to modernise their justice systems through data-driven tools and citizen-centred approaches.
The Guardian reports that the Parley brought together reformers, policymakers, and development partners who agreed that justice and security are not opposing goals but complementary drivers of peace and progress.
