The Lagos Chapter of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL) announced on Friday that it had facilitated the release of at least 150 inmates in 2025 through pro bono legal services.
Florence Atuluku, President of the Lagos Chapter, made the disclosure during the association’s 2025 annual Christmas celebration and gift presentation at Ikoyi Correctional Centre. The event was attended by inmates, correctional centre management, and the Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Most Rev. Alfred Martins.
The celebration featured a Mass and the sacrament of confirmation administered to 25 inmates by Archbishop Martins. In addition, the association, in collaboration with the Prison Apostolate of the Church, the Christian Women Organisation, and other groups, donated essential items including rice, clothes, confectioneries, toiletries, disinfectants, beverages, cash, and educational materials to aid the inmates’ rehabilitation.
Describing the visit as a “re-engineering of redeeming values,” Atuluku emphasized that NACL’s work goes beyond material support. “Through our legal services, we examine inmate records, identify those who have been held without trial, and advocate for improved conditions and freedom at no cost,” she said.
Atuluku reflected on the human cost of incarceration: “Inmates’ voices echo regret, pain, and longing for a second chance. Many outside these walls are guilty of similar failings, shielded only by privilege or circumstance. The difference lies not in morality, but in opportunity.”
She added that NACL would intensify its efforts in 2026 to decongest correctional facilities, focusing particularly on inmates involved in minor offenses.
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