PPDC Deploys 50 Lawyers to Police Stations for Free Legal Aid

The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has deployed 50 lawyers to police stations across Nigeria to provide free legal representation for indigent suspects, in a move aimed at strengthening access to justice and reducing unlawful detention.

The lawyers, operating under the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme (PDSS), have been stationed in 50 police stations to offer immediate legal assistance to people who cannot afford legal services at the point of arrest.

The initiative was unveiled on Friday in Abuja during the closeout of the Reforming Pretrial Detention Phase II Project, implemented by PPDC with support from the United States Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL).

Speaking at the event, themed “Sustaining Justice Sector Reforms: Celebrating Impact, Partnerships and the Future of Pretrial Justice in Nigeria,” PPDC’s Chief Executive Officer, Lucy James Abagi, said the deployment was already helping to reduce unnecessary detention in police custody.

She explained that providing legal representation at the point of arrest had also reduced the number of suspects eventually transferred to correctional centres.

“The project supported about 50 police duty solicitors who are also lawyers to be stationed across 50 police stations,” she said.

According to Abagi, the lawyers provide immediate legal representation to suspects who lack the resources to hire lawyers, helping to safeguard their rights and prevent avoidable detention.

She said the initiative formed part of a broader three-year project implemented in Nasarawa, Plateau, Kaduna, Adamawa and the Federal Capital Territory to reduce the number of awaiting trial inmates in Nigeria.

Abagi disclosed that PPDC had provided legal support to more than 16,000 awaiting trial inmates through a combination of paralegal services and pro bono legal representation.

She said the organisation also worked closely with the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, Chief Judges and magistrates to improve justice delivery in the participating states.

According to her, more than 200 lawyers volunteered their time and expertise to represent inmates who otherwise would have had no legal representation.

“They have given their time, resources and intellectual capacity to ensure Nigerians held in correctional centres are not denied justice,” she said.

Beyond legal aid, Abagi said the project strengthened the justice system through technology-driven reforms.

She noted that PPDC supported the offices of Chief Judges by deploying electronic filing and case management systems to improve case scheduling, filing processes and judicial notifications.

Court registries also received equipment to improve administrative efficiency.

Abagi assured stakeholders that although the project had reached its closeout stage, PPDC would continue supporting justice sector reforms.

“We will continue to support the justice system, the correctional system and the police,” she said.

She added that the organisation would continue to deploy its network of pro bono lawyers and Police Duty Solicitor Scheme structures to expand access to justice across the country.

PPDC’s Head of Programmes, Chimezie Aniekwe, attributed the project’s achievements to collaboration with key institutions, including the Ministry of Justice, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Committee, the police and legal aid organisations.

He said the intervention was deliberately designed to tackle pretrial detention from both the police station and correctional centre levels.

According to him, while pro bono lawyers reviewed cases of inmates already in custody, police duty solicitors intervened early to ensure suspects were not unnecessarily detained.

Aniekwe said PPDC was already developing a sustainability framework to preserve the structures established under the project beyond the donor funding period.

“One of the challenges with many projects is that institutions abandon the structures after implementation,” he said.

“What we are doing now is developing a sustainability framework to ensure the systems, partnerships and deployments continue to serve citizens.”

Also speaking, PPDC Programme Officer, Onyeka Oduye, said the project combined legal interventions with investments in technology to strengthen the Nigerian Correctional Service.

She said correctional facilities received alternative power supply systems, desktop computers and other equipment to improve the use of the Correctional Information Management System for inmate record management.

Oduye added that the project also strengthened legal education by working with university law clinics, where students were trained as paralegals to support case documentation and assist pro bono lawyers.

She described the project as fulfilling, saying its impact extended beyond justice institutions to families reunited with relatives who had regained their freedom through legal intervention.

“We have achieved a lot with the resources available to us,” she said.

“Today, the Nigerian Correctional Service is better equipped, our pro bono lawyers and law students have gained valuable experience, and many families have been reunited with their loved ones through access to justice.”