Lawyers, CSOs seek stronger Public Interest Litigation
By Yunus Yusuf
Legal practitioners and Civil Society Organisations have called for greater collaboration and systemic reforms to strengthen Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in Nigeria.
The call was made during a special session hosted by Spaces for Change (S4C) at the PILNet Africa Regional Convening on Public Interest Litigation.
Mrs Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director, S4C, in Lagos highlighted S4C’s research-driven approach.
She noted that several pro bono legal interventions stemmed from extensive fieldwork and community-driven investigations.
The event was organised by PILNet, with S4C focusing on integrating human rights into social and economic governance through its rights-based research and advocacy.
Ibezim-Ohaeri cited her doctoral research on SARS operations in Anambra, explaining how many victims later secured compensation through the EndSARS judicial panels.
She added that S4C frequently partners with other research-focused organisations to uncover and document human rights violations across the country.
In a panel discussion, Prof. Adebisi Arewa of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, described access to justice as the most essential human right.
He lamented the inadequate access to justice for ordinary Nigerians, stressing that its absence undermines national development and erodes human dignity.
“About 99.99 per cent of Nigerians lack access to justice,” Arewa declared, emphasising that strategic litigation both exposes systemic flaws and offers lifelines for marginalised citizens.
Former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Chairman, Alex Morka, stressed the importance of institutionalising pro bono legal services nationwide.
He urged the NBA to consider making pro bono representation mandatory, while commending judges who assign senior lawyers to represent indigent defendants in capital cases.
On behalf of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), Dr Lucas Koyejo raised concerns about alleged human rights violations in Lagos.
Koyejo revealed that the NHRC’s Lagos office, which serves over 20 million residents, is staffed by only 12 lawyers, including himself.
“We receive countless complaints daily, some from individual citizens and others through partners like S4C. But our capacity remains overstretched,” he said.
The event also featured testimonies from victims of forced evictions, police brutality, and other abuses, many of whom had benefited from S4C’s legal interventions.
Their stories underscored the tangible impact of public interest litigation and the urgent need for sustained reforms in Nigeria’s justice system.
