Prison congestion: Group targets 30 per cent reduction in pre-trial detentions

Partners law clinics on free legal services to inmates 

To reduce the number of pre-trial detainees across custodial centres in Nigeria, the Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has partnered with law clinics in selected universities to provide access to justice for the less privileged in custody.

“On this tour, we are launching our deployment to two law clinics, but Abuja is benefiting from four law clinics out of 10, while other states, including Kaduna, Nasarawa, Plateau, Adamawa and Lagos, will be benefiting.”

The CEO said the PPDC understands that it is important to enlighten the public on the role of law clinicians (law students), and appreciates the rudimentary ethics structure around paralegal services to inmates.

She continued: “Looking at the number of awaiting trial inmates in Nigerian prisons which is currently above 60,000, you will understand that we need more paralegal services, we need more pro bono services to be able to fast-track the release of people that are awaiting trial for cases that are not even supposed to be in prison.
 
“So we are hoping that we would be able to use this methodology to train more law clinicians to interface with people awaiting trial in the prisons, and provide pro bono services and interfacing also with already existing lawyers that are on our pro bono system.”
 
Professor of Medical and Ethics and Dean, Faculty of Law at the University of Abuja, Uwakwe Abugu, said the move to strengthen access to justice for inmates through equipment donations and others would check prison decongestion.
  
While encouraging the public to take advantage of the free legal services for pretrial detainees offered by the law clinic launched at the tertiary institution, Vice Chancellor of Philomath University, Kuje, Abuja, Prof. Gylych Jelilov said: “Anyone that needs access to justice in the pretrial detention cadre can always come to Philomath University because our new law clinic offers excellent services.”
 
Also, the coordinator of the law clinic, Dr. Mary Jolasimi, said the law facility is targeting their intervention at Kuje and Suleja custodial centres.