Papers by SAMUEL O K O N EKPEOWOH
International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), 2024
One of the foundational elements of human rights is access to justice, and it is a significant im... more One of the foundational elements of human rights is access to justice, and it is a significant impediment facing inmates in Nigeria. This paper critically accesses the availability of Legal aid services to inmates, focusing on the roles played by legal practitioners, NGOS, and pro-bono initiatives in bridging the gap in accessing justice. Several systemically imposed barriers, under-funding, institutional limitations, and general unawareness of the need and availability for such legal intervention have continued to deny many inmates their much-needed access. The paper discusses a general overview of the status of legal assistance in Nigeria from its evolution to what currently constitutes the services being given to inmates. That identifies, among others, institutional barriers, economic constraints, and lack of public awareness about the availability of legal aid. This paper provides the best practices through case studies of successful legal aid intervention applied and strategies effectively adopted in the interest of enhancing access to justice. These findings form a basis on which the study makes recommendations for improving the delivery of legal aid, targeting improvement in the institutional frameworks, increasing public awareness, leveraging technology, and promoting cases of collaboration among the stakeholders. This would be important in ensuring that inmates in Nigeria have equal opportunities to access justice and measurable fairness and transparency in the application of the law.
Ekpeowoh, S., Okon, E., & Mac-Chile, M. (2024). Human Rights Violations and Accountability: A Case Study of the EndSARS Movement. International Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities (IJRSS) ISSN:2582-6220, DOI: 10.47505/IJRSS, 5(10), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.47505/IJRSS.2024.10.1, 2024
The EndSARS protests in Nigeria that broke out in October 2020 brought to the fore the issues of ... more The EndSARS protests in Nigeria that broke out in October 2020 brought to the fore the issues of police brutality and systemic abuse by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). Through this paper, an attempt is made to investigate accountability and justice mechanisms put in place post-protests through governmental investigations, international reactions, litigation against perpetrators, and the challenges often associated with the realization of justice. Some of such governmental responses have been the setting up of the judicial panels of inquiry in many states-one of the most fastidious being the extensive hearings and testimonies at the Lagos State Judicial Panel of Inquiry. Effectiveness has been mixed, despite such efforts, due to interference by political interests, lack of cooperation by law enforcement agencies, and issues around transparency. International human rights organizations and foreign governments have provided an important role in galvanizing the abundance of abuses internationally and impressing the Nigerian government with pressure for active policing. Legal actions against perpetrators have been slow, with serious obstacles like witness intimidation and systemic bias in judiciaries. Civil society organizations have also been involved in documenting abuses, providing legal representation to victims, and calling for broader accountability from other stakeholders. However, the involvement of civil society has been pushed to the fringes by intimidation and harassment from the government. Further, the broader implications of the EndSARS movement on human rights in Nigeria demand the call for a security sector that should be undergoing comprehensive reforms with expansive accountability mechanisms in place. The paper concludes with recommendations for strengthening these judicial panels, reforms, civil society support, and international collaboration to ensure that justice and human rights obtain in Nigeria. These will lead Nigeria into the future with human rights respected and accountability being the norm with justice served to all citizens.
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Papers by SAMUEL O K O N EKPEOWOH