By Ibironke Ariyo
The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) has called for urgent justice-sector reforms and government-led institutional support to reduce the number of Nigeria’s over 70,000 awaiting-trial inmates.
Chief Executive Officer of PPDC, Ms Lucy Abagi, made the call on Tuesday at the 2025 Law for Humanity Summit, formerly the Pro Bono Conference, in Abuja.
She also urged the strengthening of access to Justice for citizens.
Abagi said that the summit, supported by the United States Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, seeks to address systemic gaps in pre-trial detention.
This, she said, was through capacity building, collaboration, and motivation of frontline legal support actors.
“Nigeria currently has over 70,000 people awaiting trial in custodial centres nationwide. This project aims to reduce that number,” she said.
The PPDC CEO explained that the organisation launched the “Reforming Pre-Trial Detention in Nigeria Phase Two” after baseline assessments revealed widespread detention challenges across custodial facilities.
Abagi said that PPDC works with a network of justice actors, including student-clinicians, pro bono lawyers and duty solicitors stationed in 50 police stations across the country.
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“These young professionals review case files, represent detainees in court and intervene at police stations.
“We bring them together yearly to train, equip, and encourage them to keep delivering justice services,” she said.
She noted that many Nigerians could not afford legal representation, stressing that legal fees remained out of reach for ordinary citizens.
“A keynote speaker said his firm charges N1 million just to accompany someone to the police station, not even to represent them. How many Nigerians can afford that?” she asked.
Responding to questions on sustainability, Abagi clarified misconceptions about pro bono services.
She said there is nothing like a completely free service.
“Pro bono means reducing the actual cost. PPDC supports transport, data and filing fees, but this cannot remain NGO-driven alone,” she said.
She urged the government to adopt and scale the model nationwide to prevent unlawful detentions and abuse of rights.
“Imagine each state having 100 duty solicitors at police stations. It would drastically cut illegal detention. Many Nigerians are arrested and forgotten simply because no one is available to defend them.
“Law remains a noble profession, attracting about 40,000 new lawyers yearly through the Nigerian Law School, but ethical standards must be preserved while empowering those offering free services.
“The essence of the summit is to sharpen skills, motivate practitioners and uphold ethics while serving humanity,” she said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the event brought together legal experts, civil society leaders, students, police duty solicitors and other justice system stakeholders.
The theme of the summit is “The Quintessential Pro Bono Lawyer: Providing Value Without Compromising Professional Standards”.
