OPD, CMC AND CSU To Join NBA Ikorodu Branch’s Monthly Legal Aid Initiative This November

Three agencies within the Lagos State Ministry of Justice will
be collaborating with the Ikorodu branch of the NBA to provide free
legal services to the residents of Ikorodu.

The Office of the Public Defender [OPD], Citizen’s Meditation
Center [CMC] and the Community Service Unit [CSU] will be on ground
to provide expert intervention along with members of the NBA
Ikorodu branch.

Mrs. Odunola Jegede (Alternate Chair of the Human Rights and Pro
Bono Committee of the Branch) will be coordinating lawyers
stationed at every magistrate court within Ikorodu to represent
indigent accused persons who have no legal representation.

The Chairman of the Branch, Mr. Bayo Akinlade believes that this
monthly legal aid program is beneficial to both lawyers and to the
general public in ensuring that justice is done and the public can
once again see the judiciary and the legal community as the hope of
the common man.

The Lagos State Judiciary under the leadership of Hon. Justice
Opeyemi Oke has made these kind of interventions possible by
ensuring that the common man gets access to lawyers when they get
to court

The magistrates and judges are working very hard despite the
enormous cases they handle daily with very scarce resources to
resolve disputes amongst complainants and accused persons
especially when the issues between them are civil.

The relationship that the NBA Ikorodu branch has forged with the
Executive arm of Government [through the Ministry of Justice] and
with the Judiciary in achieving justice for the poor and vulnerable
within the Ikorodu community is bearing fruits that hopefully will
last and other NBA branches across the nation can replicate.

THE LEGAL AID PROGRAM holds every 2nd Thursday
of every month at the Ikorodu High Court. The program will soon go
mobile taking it closer to the communities within Ikorodu. Mr.
Akinlade notes that the branch intends to do legal outreaches to
schools, market places, local council offices and Community
Development Associations to educate and provide free legal advice
to the community.

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