Sometimes, getting legal services may require that you have enough money to pay the professional fees that would be charged by a lawyer. In most cases, this can be demanding because it is not common to find Nigerians who save money in preparation for ‘legal trouble’. At other times, the professional fees charged by your preferred lawyer maybe well above your current financial means and therefore difficult for you to pay.
Organizations that offer free Legal Services In Nigeria
Do not worry, there are organizations that offer free legal services to Nigerians who would otherwise not have access to legal help or services.
These organizations include;
LEDAP (Legal Defence and Assistance Project)
LEDAP is a non-governmental organization (NGO) comprising of Lawyers and law professionals. The primary aim of LEDAP is to promote and protect human rights, rule of law and good governance in Nigeria. The organization majors in providing free legal services to poor Nigerians who are victims of human rights abuses, women who are victims of domestic violence amongst others.
You can visit their website at http://ledapnigeria.org/ or send them an email via info@ledapnigeria.org. You could equally follow their facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ledap.nigeria
and twitter handle @ledapnigeria to keep up with their activities and reach out to them.
LEDAP currently has offices in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Osogbo. Some contact phone numbers for the organization are +234 9 290 1589, 0813 846 0703 (Abuja office), +234 803 302 4914 (Port Harcourt office), +234 1 291 4123, 08036913264 (general phone lines), 07030000014 (toll free number).
Legal Aid Council, Nigeria
The Legal Aid Council, Nigeria (LAC) is a governmental body established by the Legal Aid Act of 2011. The LAC provides legal services in selected criminal cases and civil cases.
The criminal cases the LAC provides legal representation for include stealing, rape, armed robbery, murder, common assault etc. The civil cases include; fundamental rights enforcement cases, a case filed by an employee for compensation for injury or accident suffered during his employment etc (for the complete list of services offered by the LAC see the Second Schedule of the Legal Aid Act 2011)
You can visit the LAC’s website at https://legalaidcouncil.gov.ng/ For correspondences, you could send an email to the LAC via info@legalaidcouncil.gov.ng
FIDA Nigeria
FIDA Nigeria is a Non-Governmental Organization that focuses on protecting women and children’s rights in Nigeria. It provides free legal services to poor or indigent women and children as well as counselling services. Currently FIDA has branches in 32 states of the Federation including the FCT.
To reach FIDA Nigeria, you can visit their website at https://fida.org.ng/ or send an email to fidanigeria@yahoo.com or call +234 708 849 6115 for inquiries.
You can equally reach out to the organization through its Facebook page. To access the services of FIDA Nigeria, you could also choose to fill a complaint form via this link https://fida.org.ng/how-to-access-our-services/
Apart from the organizations listed above, these organizations in the list below equally offer free legal services. For ease, their contact details include;
Office of the Public Defender, Lagos state
Contact Information
Head Office: – 2/8, Iyun Road, Stadium/Barrack Busstop by Funsho Williams Avenue, Surulere, Lagos.
Ikorodu Office: The Combined High/Magistrate Court, Ita-Elewa, Ikorodu Lagos.
Ogba Office: Samuel Ilori Court, Ogba, Agege, Lagos
Epe Offie: Ligali Ayorinde Combined Magistrate/HighCourt Complex, Epe, Lagos
Toll Free: 070 80 60 10 80
Email: opdlagos@yahoo.com, opdlagos@facebook.com Twitter: @opdlagos
Care for Legal Assistance and Human Rights Protection
Abuja, Nigeria
Contact Information
+2347061016859, +2347050413395
clahrpnigeria@gmail.com
Probono Clearing House
(An Initiative of the Justice Research Institute Ltd. Gte)
Contact Information
Abuja: No. 817B (Twin House) Behind GT Bank, Off EbituUkiwe Street, Jabi, Abuja FCT
Lagos: 4a Ademola Street, South West Ikoyi, Ikoyi, Lagos State.
Telephone: +234 8148922270
Email: support@probono.ng Website: https://www.probono.ng/
Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA)
Contact Information
19, Monrovia Street, Off Aminu Kano Way, Wuse II, Abuja
Phone :08188699961, 08172125692, 07063807887
Email:Wrapa399@gmail.com, wrapa399@yahoo.com
Justice Development and Peace Center (JDPC) of the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria
Contact Information
Lagos: 19, Maye Street, Yaba, Lagos jdpcarchlag@yahoo.co.uk, +(234)8102580516
Ibadan: http://www.jdpcibadan.org/, Inside St. Patrick’s Catholic Church Compound, Bashorun, Ibadan, Nigeria, jdpcibd@gmail.com, +234 (2) 7519315
Sokoto: https://catholicdiocese-sokoto.org/jdpc, Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, St. Bakhita Secretariat, No 1 Aliyu Jodi Road, +234(0) 8060934550, admin@catholicdiocese-sokoto.org
Abuja: https://jdpcabuja.org.ng/, Flat 1, Block 6, No 2, Oba Close Off Mokwa Street, Off Bendel Street, Area 2, FCT Abuja, jdpcabuja@yahoo.com, +234 807609825, +234 8038765410
Pro bono Services by Lawyers
It is also worthy of note that most lawyers offer free legal services (also called pro-bono services) to indigent persons out of their own volition or free will. These services are usually provided by lawyers without anticipation of financial remuneration or payment of legal fees. To help further, we started the LAWgically Speaking Blog to offer free legal information for every Nigerian.
The information above is only provided for general information purposes and does not amount to legal advice or soliciting. Also, No Lawyer-client relationship has been created and neither can such a relationship be implied. This information is not intended to substitute the services of a lawyer, if you need legal advice, kindly consult a lawyer for your specific needs. For any further information, you could send us a mail via contact@ls-ng.com.
