FIJ
A not-for-profit organisation, HeadFort Foundation, has launched a mobile app to allow indigent Nigerians access free legal advice and representation in court whenever there are cases of police brutality, illegal detention among other issues.
According to Oluyemi Orija, the Executive Director of the NGO, the App named ‘Lawyers NowNow‘ was set up to bridge the gap in distance for vulnerable Nigerians across the country in order to get legal support whenever they run into trouble.
“The dream is to reach every nook and cranny of Nigeria. We want to ensure reforms within the Nigerian prison service and the entire criminal justice system,” she said.
“When people’s fundamental human rights are being infringed upon either by the Nigerian police or any other, they can simply access our lawyers anywhere nationwide as long as they have this app on their devices.”
The organization was initially a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of a Lagos-based law firm, HeadFort Chambers but became autonomous in 2019. Ever since, the NGO has helped 122 inmates wrongly detained regain freedom from prison as well as sensitized over 500 students.
Aside from the free emergency services for criminal cases involving indigent Nigerians, Orija added that they also offer legal services with corporate and civil services, although not free, to cater to the internal logistics of their pro-bono services.
A nationwide protest against plice brutlity was witnessed in Octobe, leading to the ban of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a notorious unit of the Nigerian Police Force.
HeadFort Foundation says it remains committed to curbing the incessant harassment of law-enforcement agencies against Nigerians.
LawyersNowNow is available for download on Google PlayStore for android users and App Store for iphones.
