LACON Defends 1,497 Terrorism Suspects Free of Charge

The Director-General of the Council, Aliyu Abubakar, disclosed this on Thursday while presenting the agency’s report at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association.

Abubakar said the intervention was part of LACON’s efforts to promote human rights and improve access to justice for Nigerians unable to afford legal representation.

He said Council lawyers visited New Bussa in Niger State and Maiduguri, Borno State, to interface with and interview terrorism suspects.

A breakdown showed that 253 defendants at Wawa Cantonment, Kainji, received legal representation in July 2025, while 96 suspects at Dawaki, Abuja, were assisted in December 2025.

Another 490 defendants at Dawaki received legal representation in April 2026, while 658 others were assisted in June, bringing the total to 1,497.

The DG said the Council also recorded a significant increase in cases handled during the period, resulting in more Nigerians gaining access to free legal services.

On the Police Duty Solicitors’ Scheme (PDSS), Abubakar said the programme, established in 2004, provides legal assistance to people in conflict with the law at police formations across the country.

He said LACON directly handled 1,163 cases through the scheme during the period under review.

“It is the desire of LACON to ensure that PDSS is implemented in all the states of the Federation. This will enable the police appreciate the fundamental rights of citizens and equally assist suspects in their formations to access free legal aid service from the Legal Aid Council upon arrests,” he said.

Abubakar said the Council had also worked with non-governmental organisations, including International IDEA and Partners West Africa Nigeria, as well as some NBA branches, to implement the scheme in various states.

He said improved funding had enabled the Council to commence plans to expand PDSS to all 36 states, with lawyers undergoing the National Youth Service Corps programme expected to serve as duty solicitors.

LACON, a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Justice, was established in 1976 and its mandate was expanded under the Legal Aid Act 2011 to cover criminal defence, civil matters, community legal services, alternative dispute resolution and assistance to road traffic victims, among others.