The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA and the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF have unveiled a N120 million strategic partnership to provide pro bono legal representation for vulnerable children across Nigeria, particularly those awaiting trial in correctional centres.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja on Monday, is designed to mobilise lawyers nationwide to represent children who are victims of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and other violations, as well as those who come into conflict with the law.
Speaking at the event, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the partnership marked a shift from broad commitments to child protection to a structured legal response capable of ensuring that vulnerable children have access to lawyers when they need them.
Osigwe said the absence of legal representation for children facing abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage, harmful traditional practices or criminal proceedings amounted to a collective failure of society.
He challenged every NBA branch, law firm and legal practitioner to dedicate professional time and resources to child-related cases, insisting that pro bono representation should become an integral part of legal practice.
According to him, the partnership will mobilise lawyers to provide quality pro bono representation, strengthen referral pathways between justice and child-protection institutions, build lawyers’ capacity to handle child-sensitive cases and promote a justice system centred on the best interests of the child.
“This is not simply an act of charity. It is an act of justice,” Osigwe said, stressing that the true measure of the legal profession should include its ability to protect vulnerable people and strengthen public confidence in the rule of law.
Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, the Director of the Criminal Justice and Reforms Department at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, said the Federal Government was strengthening the legal and institutional framework for child justice.
She said Nigeria had already established important foundations through the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, state Child Rights Laws, diversion initiatives and restorative justice mechanisms.
UNICEF Representative, Wafaa Saeed, said the partnership was founded on the principle that no child should be denied justice because of a lack of legal representation.
Saeed said children across Nigeria still encounter detention without legal representation, delays in case management, limited diversion opportunities, weak referral systems and inadequate support services.
The UNICEF representative called for increased investment in ensuring access to justice for vulnerable children across Nigeria.
