Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Federal Government, the Nigerian Bar Association and the United Nations Children's Fund have launched a landmark partnership to provide free legal services for children in conflict with the law and other vulnerable children across Nigeria, in a sweeping initiative designed to ensure that no child is denied justice because they cannot afford a lawyer. The partnership, unveiled at a high-level stakeholders' meeting in Abuja on Monday, August 10, 2026, represents one of the most ambitious efforts to reform Nigeria's child justice system, mobilising lawyers nationwide to represent children who are victims of abuse, exploitation, trafficking and other violations, as well as children who come into conflict with the law.
Representing the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, at the event, the Director of the Administration of Criminal Justice and Reform Department in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Leticia Ayoola-Daniels, declared that access to justice was a fundamental right of every child. "A child who comes into contact with the law, whether as a victim, witness, or an actual offender, deserves a system that protects, not harms; that restores, not stigmatises; and that hears, not silences," she said. Daniels noted that Nigeria had made significant progress in establishing a legal and policy framework for child justice, citing the Child Rights Act 2003, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, state child rights laws and diversion initiatives. She said justice for children had also been expressly recognised as a distinct thematic area in the National Policy on Justice, providing a strategic framework for a more inclusive and responsive justice system.
Daniels stressed that the effectiveness of reforms would ultimately be measured at the point where children encountered the justice system. "There is no real change outside. A real change is at the point of contact between the station and the courts," she said, adding that the Federal Government remained committed to ensuring that children were not left behind in justice sector reforms. She also warned that legislation and policy would have little impact unless translated into practice at police stations, courts, correctional facilities and within communities, disclosing that the ministry had developed and deployed the Prosecutors' Guidelines on Handling Cases Involving Children and Legal Aid Guidelines with support from UNICEF.
The partnership is valued at N120 million, according to NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, who described the initiative as a shift from broad commitments on child protection to a structured legal response capable of ensuring that vulnerable children have lawyers when they need them. Other reports put the value of the partnership at N140 million or $100,000. Osigwe said the absence of legal representation for children facing abuse, exploitation, neglect, trafficking, child marriage and harmful traditional practices calls for collective efforts. He tasked 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.
Osigwe outlined the key objectives of the partnership: mobilising lawyers to provide quality pro bono representation, strengthening referral pathways between justice and child-protection institutions, building lawyers' capacity to handle child-sensitive cases, and promoting a justice system centred on the best interests of the child. He also called on lawyers to intervene where children face incarceration, stressing that children must not be detained alongside adults and should instead be placed in age-appropriate facilities. He disclosed that the partnership could attract additional funding from UNICEF if successfully implemented.
The UNICEF Country Representative in Nigeria, 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 continued to encounter several obstacles within the justice system, including detention without legal representation, delays in case management, limited access to diversion opportunities, weak referral systems and inadequate support services. "Access to justice is not simply a legal issue. It is a child protection issue, a development issue, and a matter of human dignity," Saeed declared.
Saeed said every child, whether a victim, survivor, witness or child alleged to have committed an offence, deserved fair treatment, due process and an opportunity to have their voice heard. She called on the NBA to mobilise lawyers in all its branches to provide pro bono representation for children. "Just imagine if every practising lawyer in each NBA branch handles a case pro bono on behalf of one child every year in Nigeria," she said. The UNICEF Representative also called on the judiciary to promote child-sensitive procedures, urging state Chief Judges to consider issuing practice directions requiring mandatory age determination and consideration of diversion whenever a child was brought before a court for arraignment.
Saeed said the success of the partnership would "not be measured by today's launch. It will be measured by the child who is reunited with family instead of remaining unnecessarily detained; the survivor who receives justice and protection; and the young person who is given a second chance through rehabilitation and reintegration rather than a lifetime of exclusion." The partnership brings together the NBA, UNICEF, the Federal Ministry of Justice, the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, correctional authorities, the Legal Aid Council, civil society organisations and other child-protection stakeholders, aimed at creating a more coordinated national framework for children to obtain legal assistance from the earliest point of contact with the justice system.
For the countless Nigerian children who have languished in detention without legal representation, who have been victims of abuse with no one to speak for them, who have been denied their fundamental rights because they could not afford a lawyer, this partnership offers a glimmer of hope. But as the officials themselves acknowledged, the true test lies not in the launch, but in the implementation. The partnership has laid the foundation; now the task is to ensure that every child who comes into contact with the law, whether as a victim, a witness, or an alleged offender, receives the legal representation they deserve. The commitment has been made. The question now is whether Nigeria's legal community will rise to meet it.
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