Lawyers in Ikorodu, Lagos organized themselves under the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) to visit the Area N Police Command in Ijede to attend to suspects in detention. The Group of lawyers also accompanied magistrates in carrying out their statutory responsibilities to visit police stations in Ikorodu.
The PDSS initiative is an agreement between the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and the Nigeria Police to ensure that suspects have access to justice while in detention. The Scheme is backed up by the Police Force Order 20 which recognizes the rights of every citizen.
The lawyers who are members of NBA Ikorodu Branch have religiously volunteered for the PDSS initiative since 2018 and have supported the judiciary in their duties under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law.
*SUPPORT*
Prof. Isabella Okagbue, Afolabi Balogun of Libra Law Office, Justice Reform Project, Kemi Pinheiro SAN, Matthew Burkaa SAN, Prince Ajibola SAN amongst others have supported this Initiative while Juritrust Center has provided technical support for this initiative.
Under the Duty Solicitors Network, Lawyers across Nigeria have now come together to learn more about the PDSS and making moves to do the same in other jurisdictions.
The PDSS initiative is a first line intervention that prevents congestions in our Courts and Prisons. The initiative has recorded many successes and it is worth supporting…. The next person arrested and detained may be someone you care for and this initiative can make a big difference in ensuring that suspects have access to a lawyer and to justice.
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