At least three-quarters of Nigeria’s total prison population are inmates serving time without being sentenced.
Some inmates found themselves in prisons only due to the suspicion of having committed a crime, and not an actual conviction. Arrests over petty crime such as shoplifting and traffic offenses also often see people land in maximum security prisons without being charged.
Some inmates have been incarcerated since their arrest without any trace of their files or court. Some cases have been stalled due to lack of witnesses or evidence to convict them.
Through the free legal services we offer in SHIELDS OF GOLD FOUNDATION we have helped to secure the release of over 100 inmates in the Lagos Prisons, assisted in locating courts for those who have not been appearing in court and presently defending inmates in courts who can’t afford the services of a lawyer.