The Nigerian Bar Association and the United Nations Children’s Fund have launched a N140 million partnership to expand free legal representation for vulnerable children and children in conflict with the law across Nigeria.
The initiative, unveiled in Abuja on Monday, seeks to mobilise lawyers nationwide to provide pro bono services to children who are victims of abuse, exploitation, trafficking, neglect and child marriage, as well as those caught up in criminal proceedings.
The partnership comes against the backdrop of concerns over children being detained without legal representation, delays in justice delivery, weak referral mechanisms and limited use of diversion and restorative justice.
Speaking at the launch, NBA President, Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, said the initiative was designed to move child protection beyond policy declarations to a structured legal response that ensures vulnerable children have access to lawyers when they need them.
Osigwe said denying children legal representation when they face abuse, exploitation, trafficking, harmful traditional practices or criminal proceedings amounted to a collective failure.
He urged NBA branches, law firms and individual lawyers to dedicate professional time and resources to child-related cases, saying pro bono representation should become an integral part of legal practice.
“This is not simply an act of charity. It is an act of justice,” he said.
The NBA president said the programme would strengthen the capacity of lawyers to handle child-sensitive cases, improve referral pathways between justice and child-protection institutions and promote a justice system guided by the best interests of the child.
He also called for urgent intervention in cases
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