NGO OFFERS FREE LEGAL ASSISTANCE TO RIGHT ABUSE VICTIMS IN KOSOFE LGA.

*Organizes Legal Aid Clinic

Victims of Right Abuse in Kosofe Local Government Area who could not access justice due to lack of financial wherewithal can now heave a sigh of joy as they can now be able to enforce their rights as a Non-Governmental Organization, Legal Aid Council, is offering free legal services to vulnerable persons in the Area.

In its bid to stamp out variant of rights abuse and increase the awareness of vulnerable people of the availablity of its free legal services in Kosofe Local Government Area, the NGO in collaboration with Right Enforcement and Public Law Centre (REPLACE) and Children and Community Protection Network (CCPN) last week Tuesday held a sensitisation and Legal aid clinic.

The sensitisation and Legal aid clinic which had about 74 participants in attendance such as widows, person of physical disabilities, CDA, CDC members, artisans, religious and traditional rulers was held at Gospel Apostolic Church Alaba street Oworoshoki.

The facilitator of the programme, Alhaji Rasheed Awofeso of Children and Community Protection Network in a chat with Kosofe Reporters during the programme explained that the legal Aid service is a brainchild of a league of female lawyers who are desirous of giving vulnerable people whose rights have been trampled upon absolutely free legal assistance throughout Lagos state.

He said consequently the legal Aid programme was brought to Kosofe Local Area to address various complaints and issues bothering on social and domestic molestation, hence the reason for the organisation of the sensitisation programm.

And while stating that the programm would take place biweekly at CDC office in Kosofe Local Government, he urged people whose rights might have been abused one way or another to avail themselves of this opportunity by attending the programme so that lawyers on ground would be able to attend to their issues.

Alhaji Awofeso averred that right abuse is a scourge that must be stamped out in the society and as such victims of right abuse should be able to come forward and speak out in order to get justice.

He said: "some of them have been having one or two problems in the past and they have been coming to me. But now they are discussing with the lawyers, telling them their problems.

"It is not a one-off programm. It has started, no stopping. And every fortnight people with complaints should always come to CDC office so that lawyers on ground will be able to attend to their issues."

In similar vein, Lagos state coordinator of Legal Aid Council Mrs. Iyabo Akingbade stated that the programme was being organized to give vulnerable people such as women, children and people with physical disabilities whose rights have been abused access to justice free of charge.

She stated further that the Legal Aid Council is running the programme in conjunction with REPLACE and British Council and had been moving from one local government or LCDA to the other in order to bring the programme closer to the people.

Her words: "It is a programme that covers women, children and people with disabilities. The programme is to bring access to justice to them and help promote, protect and defend their rights.

"Legal Aid Council is doing it in collaboration with other stakeholders and partners. We have been going about the Local Government and LCDA in Lagos so that we bring this closer to the people.

"Knowing where to go when women have legal problems is a problem because of the level of education of some of them. They are unable to hire the services of Legal practitioner when they need one. So we are running this programme so that we can give the services free of charge"

She made it known that the programme would be taking place twice a week and thanked the executive chairman of Kosofe Local Government for granting the approval.

She therefore appealed to Women, Children and people with physical disabilities to come forward for free legal aid whenever their rights are violated.

Kosofe Local Government Area CDC chairman Hon. Segun Babatunde described the programme as a welcome development, saying that it would go s long way in assisting those whose rights have been abused in the community.

He noted that the issue of right abuse in the society is alarming and that Government, corporate organisations and members of the public must join hands together to arrest the ugly situation.

The chairman and Vice-Chairman of Young CDA which played host to the event, Chief Adebote and Pastor S. A kole both expressed delight at the organisation of the programme.

They said with the programme their community would soon be totally free of right abuse and molestation.