{
  "id": 15231535,
  "title": "Centre To Hold Conference On Access To Justice As 20,000 Inmates Get Pro-bono Legal Representations",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/centre-to-hold-conference-on-access-to-justice-as-20-000-inmates-get",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-17T12:08:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "This Day",
    "slug": "this-day",
    "url": "https://www.thisdaylive.com/2026/10/17/centre-to-hold-conference-on-access-to-justice-as-20000-inmates-get-pro-bono-legal-representations/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Public and Private Development Centre (PPDC) is organizing a national conference on 'Access to Justice' in November, aiming to address the issue of thousands of inmates across Nigeria lacking access to legal representation and justice. The two-day event, to be held at the Los Angeles Event Centre in Abuja, will feature a diverse group of participants including judges, civil society members, legal practitioners, technology innovators, and ordinary citizens.\n\nThe conference will build upon the work of the PPDC, which has already facilitated over 20,000 free legal representations for detainees in 2025, resulting in the release of 8,552 people without trial. The main theme of the conference, 'Balancing Security with Fundamental Rights: Terrorism, Technology and Access to Justice', reflects the complex challenges faced by the Nigerian justice system in ensuring both security and fundamental rights for its citizens.\n\nKey topics to be discussed at the conference include faster courts, fairer pre-trial processes, and the wider adoption of technology throughout Nigeria's justice system. The PPDC hopes to explore innovative solutions such as virtual court sessions, training for judicial and law enforcement personnel, and digital systems in detention centers.\n\nIn addition to the main conference, the Law for Humanity Summit, co-hosted with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, will examine the question, \"Can Technology Bridge the Access to Justice Gap in Nigeria?\" This summit will feature a Law Clinic Showcase and offer Innovation Seed Grants of up to $1,500 for the most promising university law clinic projects. Other highlights of the event include town hall meetings where citizens can engage directly with judicial officers and law enforcement, creative performances, and the presentation of the PPDC's Access to Justice Impact Report.",
  "summary": "Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi As thousands of inmates languish in different correctional centres across the country with many of them having no access to justice or legal representation, Public and",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}