REPLACE To Offer Free Legal Aid To Vulnerable People

The Right Enforcement and Public Law Centre (REPLACE) has expressed its readiness to offer free legal aid to persons living with disabilities and vulnerable people in the country.

Barrister Oladipupo Osinubi, a member of Egalitarian Chambers, made this known during the community sensitization of free legal aid clinic for vulnerable persons and people living with disabilities organised by REPLACE in Lagos last week.

According to him, the motive behind the initiative was solely to identify problems of disabled and vulnerable people who have no access to legal aids and offer assistance to them.

He disclosed that the emergence of coronavirus pandemic has propelled REPLACE to fight the injustices from law enforcement agencies against these group of people, adding, “all men are equal before the law, there is no sacred cow that can be subjected to law, we will make sure their rights is defended and protected.”

Addressing the participants at the community sensitisation program comprising of people living with disabilities, the physically challenged and persons with albinism, Osinubi stated that, ” In my chambers, they are free to walk in and access free legal service in as much they are part of vulnerable persons.”

“In Nigeria we don’t have people with sympathy for the vulnerable people. Part of this initiative is for people to know what we stand for, which involves mobile courts for the release of the vulnerable that were arrested for minor offences”, he said.

REPLACE to  offer free legal aid to vulnerable people

Lauding the initiative of REPLACE, Mr Olalekan Owolabi, Chairman National Association of Persons with Physical Disabilities ( NAPWPD,) Ifako Ijaye Local Government, lamented that there are some people living with disabilities that don’t know their rights but with the initiative, they have learnt a lot.

He appealed that people living with disabilities shouldn’t be avoided because it’s not an infectious disease saying, “Inasmuch as we don’t want our rights to be violated.”

Owolabi urged everyone that falls in the category of disabled persons, either physical or albinism, should also know their limits. “They shouldn’t use their disability to wreak havoc neither promote injustice in the society thinking they will easily get away with it because of their vulnerability, the law must be upheld by all and sundry,” he maintained.

“I want to beseech the landlords, they shouldn’t refuse us apartment when we come knocking for rent, the able man must not treat us badly or punish us because we have our own rights too,” he added.

He condemned cases of vulnerable females who are always treated harshly, raped, used and dumped by their lovers.

One of the participants, Edet Duyeobong lauded the initiative and also revealed the agonies of being vulnerable.

He said, “this initiative is a laudable one because often times the rights of the vulnerable have been trampled upon.
Referring to free legal aid initiative of REPLACE, he said, “this avenue will be used in addressing the issues faced by the people with disabilities, where the government has little or nothing to do for the disabled victims. I believe with this group, they will be able to fight for us if only we can align with them”.

“There are so many things I have passed through, people take advantage of you as a person with disability. As l am talking to you now, I have a job I gave to someone three years ago, I paid him his fee about 75% but my signboard haven’t been delivered to me till this moment,* Duyeobong lamented.

“People feel we are powerless. We are in a society where people write you off for being disabled. don’t allow you to speak, even in public vehicles. If our government can be proactive enough, I believe people with disabilities will have their right upheld in the scheme of things in Nigeria”, he said.