Rivers State branch of Legal Aid Council of Nigeria has unveiled reason for its setting-up by laws of the country.
This was contained in a white paper issued last week to our reporter by Barr. Uhongabasi Obot of the council in Port Harcourt.
It reads: “The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is a body established by the Federal Current in 1976 via the Legal Aid Decree no. 56 of 1976 to provide free and quality legal services to indigent Nigerians. This decree was amended by Cap 205, 1990. Laws of the Federation which later became the Legal Aid Act, Cap L9. Laws of the Federation 2004. This was recently repealed by the Legal Aid Act, 2011.
The Legal Aid Council headquarters is located in Abuja with branches in all the 36 states of the country.
In Rivers state, the Council headquarters is located in the High Court Complex, Port Harcourt, Rivers State. The Legal Aid Council has a number of Lawyers. Pro Bono lawyers, interns and support staff.
There are also private legal practitioners registered with the Legal Aid Council to provide legal services to indigent persons. The Legal Aid Council in Rivers state has a competent workforce to undertake its mandate effectively.
The grant of Legal Aid advice and access to justice is provided in three broad areas, namely, criminal defense service, advice and assistance in civil matters including legal representation in court community legal services and alternative dispute resolution. It is worthy of note that eligibility for legal aid is dependent on being unemployed, indigent or earning less than the equivalent of a minimum wage today.
The relevance of Legal Aid is founded on being the bastion of hope for the common man who is usually defenseless and fettered by poverty and illiteracy. Legal Aid is the voice of the voiceless protecting the Fundamental Human Rights of indigent persons and help decongest the prisons.
Every lawyer should register with the Legal Aid Council and participate in dispensing justice and giving hope to indigent persons. We also urge Nigerians to take advantage of our free legal services to seek redress and justice whenever the need arises.” ###
