Legal Aid, FCT Correctional Service Partner for Improved Inmates Documentation

The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), has paid a courtesy visit to the controller of Nigeria Correctional Service in the Federal Capital Territory Command, Ibrahim Idris, to appeal for the warrant and the relevant records to be made available to them at both the Kuje and Suleja correctional center.

According to the Director in charge of Criminal Justice department, Abdul Fattah Adewale Bakre who led the team of lawyers on the visit, the council understood the importance of the warrant to the correctional center and will as such handle with care.

He said that the warrant will enable them identify the inmates that falls within the jurisdiction of the council, and then request their presence for interview and proper documentation in fulfillment of what section 19 of legal aid act 2011 and legal aid regulation 2012.

“Reports reaching us from the field lawyers is that in some places, the council do not have access to warrant and records from the welfare, and this is a big challenge because without them, we cannot function. Any negative comment on the issue of awaiting trials inmate is an indictment to the council. LAC was able to intervene in the case of 101 Boko Haram suspect because we have access to warrant. It is equally important to us because it determine who among the inmates have legal representation and who needs Legal aid services,” Bakre said.

In response to the request made by the council, the controller, Ibrahim Idris. took immediate actions by assigning a lawyer attached to his office to accompany the legal aid group to kuje prison and to make sure instruction is adhered to.

He also wrote a letter to the Deputy controllers of both Kuje and Suleja correctional centers, instructing them to make available the warrant to the council.

The controller also appealed for all hands to be on deck because out of the 1,298 inmates in custody, majority are awaiting trials inmates.

He noted that LACON was doing their best but the issue remains a work in progress, “so when all the relevant stakeholders do the needful, more result will be seen”. 

 The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria was in Kuje correctional center to interview inmates for representation in various courts within the Federal Capital Territory.

The visit to Kuje prison was a fall out of the courtesy visit of the council to the controller of FCT command Ibrahim Idris who took proactive measures immediately to ensure that the visit was hitch fire.

The council interviewed a total number of 27 inmates whose offences range from Theft, Criminal breach of trust, fraud, Criminal Conspiracy, Rape among others.

The inmates who gave their consent by signing LACON form have already been assigned a lawyer for representation in court.