LLM Personal Statement
A boy of 14 years old was charged and arraigned with Culpable Homicide Punishable with Death (first degree murder) for the accidental discharge of his father’s hunting gun that eventually killed his brother. He was arraigned on a holding charge before a magistrate court (that has no jurisdiction to try the case) and was remanded in adult prison. He was in custody for about a year awaiting trial in flagrant violation of both constitutional and procedural laws that protect him as a minor. His father who is poor and devastated with the grief of his lost son with yet another in prison custody came to me for help. I fought to ensure that the boys constitutional rights and procedural laws that deals with minors were upheld …show more content…
Their indigent families have spent significant amount of money to the corrupt police practices in Nigeria to get them released. Their case was reported to me and I fought to ensure that their Constitutional rights were upheld and consequently discharged and acquitted of the arm robbery charge against them. Shortly after the case, I personally initiated a career plan counseling with these young men to help them not only reintegrate back into the society, but to also establish themselves economically.
These and many more stories characterized my 2 years of work experience with Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and my life as a whole. While with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, I was saddled with the responsibility of providing pro bono criminal defense services to the indigent, weak and vulnerable individuals, instituting and defending civil cases on their behalf as well as providing free community services which included legal education on their rights and privileges as citizens of Nigeria. This responsibility was discharged with a sense of purpose and urgency that it duly
A boy of 14 years old was charged and arraigned with Culpable Homicide Punishable with Death (first degree murder) for the accidental discharge of his father’s hunting gun that eventually killed his brother. He was arraigned on a holding charge before a magistrate court (that has no jurisdiction to try the case) and was remanded in adult prison. He was in custody for about a year awaiting trial in flagrant violation of both constitutional and procedural laws that protect him as a minor. His father who is poor and devastated with the grief of his lost son with yet another in prison custody came to me for help. I fought to ensure that the boys constitutional rights and procedural laws that deals with minors were upheld …show more content…
Their indigent families have spent significant amount of money to the corrupt police practices in Nigeria to get them released. Their case was reported to me and I fought to ensure that their Constitutional rights were upheld and consequently discharged and acquitted of the arm robbery charge against them. Shortly after the case, I personally initiated a career plan counseling with these young men to help them not only reintegrate back into the society, but to also establish themselves economically.
These and many more stories characterized my 2 years of work experience with Legal Aid Council of Nigeria and my life as a whole. While with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, I was saddled with the responsibility of providing pro bono criminal defense services to the indigent, weak and vulnerable individuals, instituting and defending civil cases on their behalf as well as providing free community services which included legal education on their rights and privileges as citizens of Nigeria. This responsibility was discharged with a sense of purpose and urgency that it duly