2019 Law Week: NBA Lagos Lawyers Visit Prisons, Physically Challenged School
Members of the 2019 NBA Lagos Law Week Committee and the branch executive council undertook a charity and fact-finding visit to the Ikoyi and Kirikiri Prisons in Lagos to assess the conditions there, and the effectiveness of the skill-acquisition and other rehabilitation programmes of the facility.
The visit was part of branch’s efforts to improve the conditions of inmates in the State’s prisons and to drive the reform of the country’s criminal justice system, the leadership and personnel of prison authorities, and partner with them in a bid to decongest the prisons and engage lawyers of the branch do more pro-bono for less-privileged inmates.
Immediately after the assessment of the cells, inmates and the skills acquisition centers, Mr. Tola Oshobi (SAN) who is the Chairman of the 2019 NBA Lagos Law Week Committee, said the branch had examined a number of outstanding issues, and would set key objectives, amongst which were the urgent imperative of decongesting grossly over-crowded prisons, as well as the prompt disposal of cases involving prisoners awaiting trial.
He said there was a need for a better framework for penal reform in Lagos; the need to end the practice of mixing up inmates in the same facilities or cells, regardless of the nature of their offenses; the challenge of rehabilitating and reintegrating released prisoners back into society (and its potential impact on said society); and managing the cost – to the public, to the individual families of inmates, and to the prison system – of imprisonment, among others.
Oshobi commended the prison authorities for their administrative pattern and asked for their cooperation at all times in order to instill sanity into the inmates and the society.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Branch, Chukwuka Ikwuazom, voiced his concerns and observations as they pertained to the following areas: the need to gain access to factual information without the usual impediments and secrecy surrounding official activities in Prisons, as has been the case over the years – a turnaround which would, in turn, enable a closer look at the true plight of vulnerable groups such as women (especially pregnant inmates and nursing mothers), children, and people with physical and mental disabilities.
This he said, was even more imperative, as the focus on women prisoners also played into the larger issue of gender equity in the larger society.
On the issue of minors (young people aged below 16 years), he called for a review of laws governing the disposal of cases involving minors accused or convicted for capital offences, and a renewed public and private-sector investment into juvenile centers and remand homes across the nation.
In addition, Ikwuazom disclosed that many Lagos Branch lawyers were offering paralegal and pro-bono services, and are engaging various prison authorities and ministries of justice on a regular basis. He also disclosed plans by the Lagos branch to partner with media institutions towards research-and-evidence-based reporting of prison situations, as well as promoting the dying culture of investigative journalism as a whole.
In his remarks, the Deputy Comptroller of Ikoyi Prison, Tolu Ogunsakin, dwelt at length on the underlying reasons behind the vexed issue of over-crowding, as well as the preponderance of condemned criminals and the reluctance of the political authorities to facilitate disposal of their cases – either through their summary execution or release. He called for a more robust engagement between the Nigerian Prison Service, the Nigerian Bar Association and the media in a bid to bring about a better understanding of the issues on the part of all relevant stakeholders.
The Lagos Bar made donations of various gift items to the prison authority to show their support and raise the hopes of inmates of regaining freedom.
The team later moved to The Pacelli School for the Blind in Surulere, Lagos, to lift the spirit of the students through the donation of various gift items as part of their corporate social responsibility to encourage the students to keep alive their dreams and cling to their passion in order to live a fulfilled live.
‘It is part of the love the Premier Bar has for humanity,’ Ikwuazom said, ‘especially people with disabilities in the society.’ While enjoining the students to be insatiable in their thirst for knowledge, he explained that the aim of the visit was to empower the students and raise their level of self-confidence, which would make them grow into self-actualized citizens.
The highpoint of the visit was the donation of various gift items.
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Registration for the Law Week is still ongoing and multiple registration channels have been provided by the Law Week Committee towards a seamless and hassle-free registration experience for participants.
This includes payment at the banks or through POS at the Lagos NBA branch office. Participants can also download the registration form and pay through the payment gateway indicated on the branch website.
The registration rates are below:
- 1 – 7 years: N3,500
- 8 – 15 years: N5,000
- 16 – 19 years is 10,000
- 20 years and above is N15,000
- SANs and Benchers N25,000
Interested participants are to make their payments to the Nigerian Bar Association, Lagos Branch at Access Bank. The Account Number is 0728253326. Please return the registration form to the branch office with proof of payment.
For enquiries, please contact:
Nkem Agboti
08035739791
nagboti@gmail.com.
Uche Nwadialo
08098030060
u.nwadialo@gmail.com
Oluyemisi Iwajomo
08064112076
oiwajomo@babalakinandco.com
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