Reflective essay for the ongoing
pretrial project.
The ongoing NULAI/OSIWA pretrial project, which
I am proud to be a part of, has exposed me to the realities of the Nigerian
Justice system and has equipped me with vital skills such as; skills required
in interviewing a client, it has also taught me about the confidentiality code
between a client and a lawyer, it also equipped me with the importance of
documentation. it has generally broadened my mind to understand the study of
Law.
I have been opportune to visit Suleja
prison twice. My first time in the prison, I just could not understand why people
would be left in such smelly and dirty environment, and why the prison was so
congested, as I thought the prison was for rehabilitation and reformation, it
just did not look conducive for human living. Going on to interview the inmates,
I realised how necessary the ongoing pretrial project is to decongest the
prison, as some inmates who had committed no crime, where left in prison to
languish as a result of no legal aid.
On taking up some cases of the inmates, my
team and I, along with a lawyer assigned to us, went to court to represent
them, it was a good experience, as I saw first hand how proceedings take place,
and how cases are decided. Some of the inmates who we represented were released
and the cases struck off, and the others are still ongoing trial.
During this training I have been equipped with
the values of a lawyer, a lawyer should always look neat and tidy, a lawyer
must always be prepared at all times, a lawyer must be prompt and most
importantly a lawyer must be honest. These values are values that are very
vital in life.
The project has made me realise that access
to justice in Nigeria of the common man is not readily accessible nor available,
because a lot of people who have committed no crime, or have committed minor
offences who have no lawyer or legal aid are allowed to languish and rot in the
prison.
I am very grateful to be a part of the Nile
university of Nigeria law clinic and also thankful to NULAI/OSIWA for the
pretrial project as it would help decongest Nigeria prisons
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