The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON), over the years, has not been able to fulfil its core mandate, a problem blamed on inadequate funding and a shortage of manpower.
The Director of Public Prosecutions of Bauchi State, Shawanatu Yusuf, said the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) has only one lawyer attending to thousands of indigent suspects in the state.
Bauchi, a northeastern state, is with an estimated population of eight million people, according to the National Population Commission.
The Legal Aid Council was established in 1976 with the mandate to provide free legal services to indigent Nigerians who conflict with the law.
The agency, over the years, has not been able to fulfil its core mandate, a problem blamed on inadequate funding and a shortage of manpower.
However, the issue became topical on Tuesday in Abuja when an audience of public prosecutors was jolted by the Bauchi State DPP's revelation.
Ms Yusuf spoke at an ongoing three-day national stakeholders' forum for a review of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (2015) in Abuja.
The ACJA is now domesticated across Nigeria's 36 states. The law is aimed at reforming the criminal justice system in Nigeria.
"There is only one legal aid council of Nigeria lawyer in Bauchi State," Ms Yusuf said while presenting a report on the level of implementation of ACJA in Bauchi.
The state domesticated the innovative legislation in December 2022.
When PREMIUM TIMES pressed Ms Yusuf further after her presentation, she said, "Only one lawyer from the legal aid council has been attending to the numerous indigent suspects in Bauchi in the last seven years."
Asked how the criminal justice system copes with the glaring manpower challenge, the DPP explained, "In many instances, suspects are arraigned without legal representation and the trial judge is compelled to appoint a lawyer in the courtroom to stand for the poor suspect pending when another lawyer is obtained."
Bauchi State is not alone, Akwa Ibom and Edo States in South-south Nigeria have four and six legal aid lawyers, respectively.
Akwa Ibom State DPP, Joseph Umoren; and Oluwole Osaze, Edo State Attorney-General, made the disclosure on Tuesday while giving their states' level of implementation of the AJCA.
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AGF promises reforms in criminal justice sector
In a goodwill message, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said the meeting afforded public prosecutors "the opportunity to collaboratively look back, evaluate and benchmark our performances in a journey that would lead to the improvement of our criminal justice system."
Mr Fagbemi, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted that the country's criminal justice system was plagued with challenges.
He pledged to convene a meeting to re-evaluate Nigeria's national policy on justice.
"The Federal Ministry of Justice is making plans with relevant stakeholders to convene a National Summit on Justice to consider and adopt a revised National Policy on Justice, 2024 - 2028."
The minister commended the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), Rule of Law and Anti-Corruption (ROLAC) and the facilitators for partnering with the Federal Ministry of Justice to facilitate the workshop.
The event brought together Attorneys-General of the 36 States of the federation and top criminal justice experts including Yemi Akinseye-George, and Dakas Dakas who are both law professors and SANs and Chino Obiagwu, a SAN.
In his remarks, Mr Akinseye-George who is the President of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies, said the ACJA protects the rights of persons who come in contact with the justice system, ensuring that everyone is fairly treated.
He highlighted the issue of unlawful arrests which the legislation tackles.
The event was declared open by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) who was represented by Tijjani Abubakar, a justice of the Supreme Court.
