The Federal Government, Nigerian Bar Association and United Nations Children’s Fund have launched a joint initiative to provide free legal representation for children in conflict with the law and other vulnerable children across Nigeria.
The partnership was unveiled at a high-level stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Monday, with participants stressing the need to ensure that children are not denied justice because they cannot afford legal representation.
Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, the Director of the Administration of Criminal Justice and Reform Department in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, described access to justice as a fundamental right of every child.
She said children who come in contact with the justice system as victims, witnesses or alleged offenders must be protected and treated fairly.
“Access to justice is not a privilege, it is a fundamental right of every child,” Daniels said.
She noted that Nigeria had established several legal and policy frameworks for child justice, including the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and state-level child rights laws.
Daniels said the Federal Government was also working to reduce unnecessary detention of children and strengthen child-friendly justice mechanisms.
According to her, the success of reforms would depend on what children experience when they come into direct contact with the justice system.
“There is no real change outside. A real change is at the point of contact between the station and the courts,” she said.
The UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, Wafaa Saeed, said the partnership was based on the principle that poverty or lack of legal representation should never prevent a child from accessing justice.
Saeed identified detention without legal assistance, delays in handling cases, limited access to diversion programmes, weak referral systems and inadequate support services as some of the challenges confronting children within the justice system.
“Access to justice is not simply a legal issue. It is a child protection issue, a development issue, and a matter of human dignity,” she said.
She urged the Nigerian Bar Association to mobilise lawyers across its branches to provide pro bono services to children.
Saeed said the impact could be significant if lawyers committed to handling at least one child-related case without charge each year.
She also called on the judiciary to adopt more child-sensitive procedures, including mandatory age determination and consideration of diversion whenever a child is brought before a court.
Meanwhile, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe, said the initiative demonstrated the legal profession’s commitment to protecting vulnerable children and ensuring they receive effective representation.
Osigwe said children affected by violence, abuse, exploitation, trafficking, neglect, child marriage and other harmful practices often face difficulties securing legal assistance.
“For these children, lack of legal representation is a failure on our part,” he said.
He urged NBA branches to establish or strengthen pro bono programmes specifically targeting child protection cases and called on law firms to dedicate part of their professional services to children in need.
The NBA president also appealed to Senior Advocates of Nigeria to mentor younger lawyers in child-sensitive legal practice.
He stressed that providing free legal services to vulnerable children should not be viewed merely as charity but as part of the legal profession’s responsibility to uphold justice and protect fundamental rights.
