BY STEPHEN SIMON
The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria (LACON) in collaboration with a Human Rights Organization Zarephath Aid and the NBA Surulere have brought the issue of rights of detainees to the front-burner.
Speaking during an unscheduled visit to the Divisional Police Stations in Aguda and Bode Thomas Surulere on Tuesday 9th June 2026, officials of the Organizations charged the Police to place the rights of detainees within the law whenever they arrest and detain them.
Mrs Iyabo Akingbade, the Lagos State Director of LACON highlighted the place of Human rights Organizations in the promotion and defence of human rights even as the legal basis for assisting detainees through the PDSS (Police Duty Solicitor Scheme) program which is Police Force Order 20 was further enunciated.
Mr Ben Abraham, the Founder of Zarephath Aid stressed the need for legally founded investigations and gathering of evidence before prosecution lamenting that several cases are lost due to shabby investigations. In furtherance of the visit, the team inspected the holding cells of the Stations and discussed with the officers the way forward in a number of cases. The Divisional Police Officers in both stations CSP N. Joshua and Arit Abang respectively thanked the team for coming promising to sustain the collaboration.
The PDSS (Police Duty Solicitor Scheme) is a collaborative action plan which empowers legal practitioners to amongst others, visit police formations to render pro bono service to indigent suspects and partner with the Police on related issues of detainees’ rights. The Scheme as it presently runs came into effect via Force Order 20 of the Nigeria Police signed into effect by then IG Mohammed Idris in 2017.
LACON is charged with driving the Scheme in partnership with human rights Organizations and the NBA. Implementation of the PDSS has led to pro bono support and assistance to thousands of detainees since inception.
