Legal Aid and Mediation Services
──── LEGAL AID AND MEDIATION SERVICES
CIRDDOC’s longstanding legacy in Access to Justice
This page highlights CIRDDOC’s longstanding commitment to providing legal aid services, showcasing the organization’s impact over the years. Despite challenges, including a lack of funding, CIRDDOC has remained dedicated to ensuring access to justice for underserved communities, empowering individuals to assert their rights and resolve disputes fairly.
Since 1999, CIRDDOC Nigeria’s Legal Department has successfully implemented the project “Increasing Access to Mediation and Legal Services for Poor People, Especially in Rural Communities.”
The project received support from two key partners: the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) and the British Department for International Development (DFID) through the British Council’s Justice for All (J4A) program in Nigeria between 1999 and 2016. With HBF’s support, CIRDDOC Nigeria trained over 500 Community Paralegals (CPs), Village Mediators (VMs), Civic Educators (CEs), and Development Information Officers (DIOs). Additionally, the organization established and equipped Community Information Centres across nine states in the South-East and South-South regions of Nigeria.
Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF) Project
Between 1999 and 2011, CIRDDOC, in partnership with the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF), implemented the project “Promotion of Human and Women’s Rights, Gender Equity, and Good Governance in Nigeria.” The initiative was carried out in five Local Government Areas in Enugu State and across eight other states in the Southeast and South-South regions, covering a total of nine states from the old Eastern Region: Enugu, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Abia, Rivers, Bayelsa, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom.
The project was structured around three key components:
- Access to Justice – Providing mediation and legal services.
- Civic Education and Forums – Promoting awareness and engagement on rights and governance.
- Community Development Information Centres (CICs) – Establishing resource hubs to support informed civic participation.
1. Access to Justice through Mediation and Legal Services
Under this component, CIRDDOC trained over 150 Paralegals and equipped them in the 9 States to carry out legal and human rights education in Communities and to assist poor and indigent citizens to access justice through mediation and linking them to Pro-bono Lawyers for litigations cases. They also visit Police Stations and Prisons (Correctional Centres) to assist those awaiting trials to contact their families and linking them up with Pro-bono Lawyers to help in facilitating their release. The goal of this project was to reduce congestions of Police Cells and Prisons, and to settle non-criminal matters out of Court through voluntary mediation
Under this project, CIRDDOC has set up Community Legal Aid clinics within the Community Information Centres in 15 Communities spread across three states:
- Ebonyi – Ameazu, Oriuzor, Ikwo, Afikpo and Ohaozara
- Enugu – Ugwuogo, Owelli, Eha Alumona, Imezi Owa, and Akporfu
- Anambra – Awka, Nteje, Nri, Ajalli and Nnewi
CIRDDOC Paralegal Scheme
CIRDDOC’s Paralegal Scheme enhances access to justice by providing legal education and support to disadvantaged communities. The initiative trains community-based paralegals—including retired teachers, civil servants, clergy members, community leaders, traditional rulers, and activists—to deliver basic legal aid, rights education, and conflict resolution at the grassroots level.
Key Features of the Program:
- Intensive Training – Three weeks of legal and human rights education, followed by bi-annual refresher courses and annual evaluation workshops.
- Community Legal Aid Clinics – Paralegals offer free legal advice and counseling at CIRDDOC-run clinics across three states. Cases requiring litigation are referred to CIRDDOC’s legal team or partner organizations.
- Ongoing Support & Supervision – Paralegals report monthly on cases handled and provide legal education to community groups.
- Recognition & Legitimacy – Certified paralegals receive ID cards and letters of introduction to local authorities to strengthen their role in the justice system.
SINCE 1999, CIRDDOC HAS TRAINED OVER 200 PARALEGALS, EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES WITH ACCESSIBLE, COMMUNITY-DRIVEN LEGAL SERVICES. PARALEGALS ALSO CONTRIBUTE TO ELECTION MONITORING, BUDGET OVERSIGHT, AND HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCACY, FURTHER PROMOTING JUSTICE AND GOOD GOVERNANCE.
Under the Assess to Justice through mediation and legal services Project of CIRDDOC and HBF, over 700 cases were settled out of court and about seven cases were handled in court.
2. Civic Education and Civic Forum
CIRDDOC has trained over 300 Civic Educators across five Local Government Areas in Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu States to promote human rights awareness and legal literacy. These educators work within community-based organizations—including town unions, age-grade associations, women’s groups, youth groups, and faith-based organizations—to empower citizens with knowledge of their fundamental rights and available conflict resolution options, whether through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) or the formal legal system.
As part of the Civic Education and Civic Forum Project, CIRDDOC has built a strong grassroots network across the Southeast through an ongoing initiative funded by the Heinrich Böll Foundation (HBF). A key component of this project is youth engagement through Civic Forums—small group discussions designed to encourage youth participation in democracy.
In 15 communities across the three states, CIRDDOC is educating 500 youth leaders, who then train and mobilize an additional 7,500 youths from existing community groups. This peer-to-peer model ensures widespread civic awareness, equipping young people to become informed and active citizens, including registering to vote and engaging in democratic processes.
3. Community Information Centers (CICs)
CIRDDOC’s Community Information Centres (CICs) serve as hubs for civic engagement, legal education, and community dialogue. These centers are managed by trained Development Information Officers (DIOs), Civic Educators (CEs), and Community Paralegals (CPs), who facilitate weekly Civic Discussion Forums on key governance and human rights issues.
How CICs Operate:
- Community-Driven: Local communities provide the meeting halls, and DIOs—nominated by the communities—manage the centers.
- Fully Equipped: Each CIC is stocked with educational resources, including:
- Television and radio sets
- Educational videos
- 9.5KVA generator sets for uninterrupted learning
- Books, pamphlets, newspapers, and magazines
Objectives of CIRDDOC’s CICs:
Create safe spaces for community discussions on governance and civic rights.
Promote education and literacy through user-friendly materials and interactive discussions
With CICs in place, CIRDDOC is fostering informed, active citizenship by equipping communities with the knowledge and tools they need to engage in governance and legal empowerment.
Justice For All (J4A) PROJECT: Expanding Access to Justice in Nigeria
In a country of over 200 million people, justice remains out of reach for many. 80% of lawyers are in private practice, and just 2,000 provide legal aid, leaving millions—especially the poor and rural communities—without legal support. Traditional dispute resolution, though widely used, often leads to unfair outcomes, particularly for women and children.
Our Solution: Community Paralegal & Village Mediation Project (CPVMP)
In partnership with DFID/J4A and PASI, CIRDDOC Nigeria implemented CPVMP, a proven model from Malawi, Ghana, Kenya, and Bangladesh. This initiative trained community paralegals and mediators to provide free, fair, and accessible dispute resolution services, reducing the burden on courts and law enforcement.
Why CPVMP Matters
- Justice for All: Expands access to legal support in rural and marginalized areas
- Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR): Reduces court congestion and prison overcrowding
- Empowering Communities: Trains paralegals and mediators to offer fair, accessible conflict resolution
- Reducing Police Involvement: Minimizes law enforcement intervention in minor disputes
By strengthening community-based justice mechanisms, CPVMP ensures that vulnerable populations can assert their rights, resolve conflicts fairly, and seek justice without financial or bureaucratic barriers.
Objectives
The project aimed to improve access to justice for indigent citizens in Enugu State, ensuring that all individuals, especially women, could access affordable and equitable legal aid.
Specific objectives included:
- Providing affordable, accessible justice for the speedy resolution of disputes through effective legal aid.
- Building local capacity to manage disputes, reducing the risk of escalation and criminalization.
- Raising awareness of citizens’ rights, with a focus on women’s rights.
- Restoring confidence in the justice system.
The project addressed the challenges of Nigeria’s complex legal system, where rural communities often suffer due to inaccessible and expensive legal services. By offering mediation and legal aid at the community level, the project provided an affordable and preferred alternative to traditional systems, with high beneficiary satisfaction.
Outcomes
- 20 Community Paralegals trained and serving in 5 communities.
- 10 trained Community Paralegals teaching village mediation.
- 150 Village Mediators trained in 2 communities.
- Mentorship for organizations like REGENET in dispute management.
- CIRDDOC’s enhanced capacity to provide legal aid services.
- 680 cases registered for mediation (2012-2016), with 86% successfully resolved.
- 14 million people sensitized on human rights through outreach and radio programs.
- 1,500 people benefited from mediation; 778 received legal advice.
- 15,100 individuals educated on CP-VMP, human rights, and legal education.
- Key stakeholders, including the Nigerian Prisons Service, Enugu State Command, the Legal Aid Council, Enugu state Ministry of Gender Affairs and the Enugu state Ministry of Justice have agreed to enter into cooperation agreements with CIRDDOC in the project. The Magistrates Courts and Customary Courts in the pilot Local Governments are already referring cases to the CPs and working with them to reduce their caseload. Notably, Chief Magistrate Amalu of Amagunze Magistrate Court swore to continue to work with the CPs in spite of a petition against him from a lawyer in one of the cases he referred to the Community Paralegals.
Impact
The project significantly impacted capacity building, case diversion, and sustainability, by imparting essential skills on human rights, gender, criminal and family law, project management, and fundraising. These outcomes have had a lasting effect on community-based justice systems, ensuring continued access to mediation and legal aid.
──── Testimonials
See what they say about us
CIRDDOC NO FUNDING PERIOD 2017 – TILL DATE
Trained Community Paralegals (CPs) and Village Mediators (VMs) in the pilot communities have continued to provide free human rights and legal education to their community members, while trained CIRDDOC staff at head office provide free legal aid services through mediation and legal assistance in courts and police stations, even when the project has not been directly funded by any of our funding partners since 2017. For instance, about 1, 300 cases registered for mediation between 2017 and February 2025 were successfully handled, (average of about 156 cases per year) representing 85% success rate. Within the same period, about 55,879 community members were sensitized on human rights and available justice options for the resolution of disputes.
Breakdown of the cases handled
- 1, 300 TOTAL cases handled between 2017 – Feb 2025
- 598 Marital Dispute cases
- 200 Widow disinheritance
- 80 Land dispute cases
- 70 Assault and battery cases
- 180 Child welfare/custody cases
- 50 Tenancy dispute cases
- 100 Wife desertion cases
- 22 Intimidation/Harassment cases
- 986 cases reported by women
- 314 cases reported by men
- 822 cases settled successfully through CIRDDOC’s mediation department
- 65 cases referred to litigation
- 99 Cases referred back to umunna/kindred for final settlement
- 102 Ongoing cases as of 2025
- 212 unresolved cases
- 200 Widow disinheritance
Further Outcomes
- Improved access to mediation and legal services, especially for rural communities.
- Establishment and promotion of a community-based Paralegal and Mediation program in underserved areas.
- Increased access to affordable, quality justice at the community level.
- Trained Community Paralegals and Village Mediators providing legal information and human rights awareness.
- Strengthened collaboration with justice agencies, community leaders, and government for case referrals.
- Successful lobbying for the formal referral of minor claims and offenses to mediation through Community Paralegals.
Common Challenges
- Lawyers’ fear of losing earnings due to CIRDDOC’s free legal services.
- Deep-rooted cultural beliefs (e.g., women not owning property).
- Corruption among security officers who demand payment for bail or dismiss domestic violence cases.
- Limited culture of volunteerism and widespread poverty.
- Lack of funding for legal aid services since 2017.
- Resistance from traditional rulers and their cabinets due to perceived threats to their authority.
- Cultural silence on family matters, preventing open discussion of issues.
- Police suppression of evidence, especially in sexual assault cases.
- Reluctance of family members, particularly in cases involving minors, to pursue legal action.
- Stigmatization of rape and domestic violence victims, discouraging them from pursuing justice.
- Insufficient financial support for Paralegals and Legal Officers.
- Inadequate communication infrastructure in rural areas and poor road networks.
Successes of CIRDDOC Legal Aid Project
- Widows helped to recover property unfairly taken after their husbands’ deaths.
- Women trained as paralegals now enforce their rights and those of others.
- Increased participation of women in traditional leadership roles and town union executives in Enugu and Ebonyi States.
- Several paralegals inspired to pursue formal legal education.
- Women now running for political office.
- Communities empowered to know and assert their rights through legal aid clinics.
- Enhanced engagement with elected representatives, holding them accountable.
- Positive changes among women’s groups that once perpetuated harmful traditional practices, such as the abolition of FGM and harmful widowhood practices.
- Reduced police involvement in community matters, leading to fewer illegal arrests and detentions.
- Free bailing of detainees and greater involvement of women as sureties for bail.
- Decrease in the number of cases going to court in local communities.
Although the work is voluntary, there are many benefits. My status has changed positively in the community. I am now regarded as a very important personality and I command respect from the community because of the skills I now have and the work I do in the community.
Mr. Jacob Onu, a village mediator in Nerefi, commending the programme.