Otti urges lawyers to defend rights of vulnerable Nigerians

By Ugochukwu Alaribe UMUAHIA — Abia State Governor, Dr Alex Otti, has urged legal practitioners across the country to prioritise access to justice by extending legal services to indigent and vulnerable citizens who cannot afford legal representation. Otti made the call in Umuahia while declaring open the 2026 Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law (NBA-SPIDEL) Annual Conference, with the theme, “In Public Interest: Advancing Justice, Democracy and Development.” The governor urged lawyers to adopt a more humane approach to cases involving indigent and vulnerable citizens, stressing that the pursuit of justice should take precedence over professional interests and financial considerations.

He said the legal profession had a responsibility to provide assistance to people who lacked the financial capacity to defend their rights. “And because you are lawyers, we need to go the extra mile of asking ourselves, beyond all the things that have been said, how can we be of service to people who cannot pay? “How can we be of service to the vulnerable?

How can we help people who on their own cannot afford to help themselves? “Until government gets to that level, we have not cracked the surface. If it is only about you and then the money you make and all that, then you don’t need to be here. You may as well go and do something else,” he said. Otti said his administration had discovered cases of people who remained in correctional facilities despite allegedly having committed no offences warranting their continued detention.

He cited the case of an individual who was allegedly detained for supporting an opposition political party, adding that the experience prompted him to direct the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice to work with the Chief Judge to secure the release of such inmates. The governor also warned against the misuse of the justice system to punish citizens for expressing their opinions or engaging in activities on social media, insisting that the protection of individual rights must remain central to governance.

On judicial infrastructure, Otti disclosed that his administration would soon commission 10 newly constructed courthouses equipped with renewable energy systems, digitalised court records and broadband connectivity. He also urged lawyers to embrace technological advancements and prepare for emerging changes in legal practice. In his keynote address, former Vice President, Prof.

Yemi Osinbajo, urged lawyers to move beyond litigation and legal interpretation to champion public interest, protect disadvantaged citizens and ensure that democracy delivers tangible benefits to the people. Osinbajo identified expensive legal services, prolonged court proceedings, judicial corruption and impunity as major obstacles to access to justice.

He advocated people-centred reforms that would make legal services more affordable and accessible to ordinary Nigerians. Earlier, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mrs Oyinkansola Badejo-Okunsanya, SAN, urged NBA-SPIDEL to intensify its advocacy for justice, democracy and development, particularly in protecting vulnerable citizens and improving access to justice.

She also called for an intervention programme to address the treatment of children in police custody and detention facilities, following reported deaths in custody. Badejo-Okunsanya stressed that children must be recognised and treated as children, regardless of the circumstances surrounding their detention. She tasked NBA-SPIDEL with working with relevant NBA branches and human rights organisations to identify responsibilities, cases, partners and priority areas for intervention within 30 days of the conference.

She further directed the section to submit a progress report on the proposed interventions within 90 days.