Abuja- The Director-General, Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Mrs Joy Bob-Manuel, said the council had offered 24 hours legal services to litigants in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force.
Bob-Manuel told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday in Abuja that the Police Duty Solicitor Scheme (PDSS) comprised of legal aid officers and the NYSC lawyers.
According to her, the scheme operates 24 hours service at selected police stations on shift basis to offer uninterrupted legal services.
“These services are rendered to those who are in conflict with the law at the point of arrest (Police Station) before volunteering any statement to the police,’’ she said.
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Bob-Manuel said the scheme was addressing pre-trial detention cases in the country to ensure prompt decision on arrest, arraignment and prosecution of suspected criminal offenders.
She said the scheme offered services to 2, 314 detainees in 2013, saying that the council assisted in reducing the time spent by detainees in custody while awaiting trials.
According to her, legal aid council’s collaboration with the police is fundamental in the process of assigning duty-solicitors to duty posts in police stations.
The director general said that the scheme had facilitated the release of a large number of suspected criminals from police detention.
Bob-Manuel said the duty solicitors’ interview arrestees to solicit personal information and other relevant details in order to assist with their bail applications. (NAN)
