Over 1000 people have benefited from a public enlightenment campaign aimed at educating and sensitizing vulnerable women, youth, and the elderly on the need to know their right with regard to criminal justice in Kano state.
The Project Coordinator, Centre for Education Health and Entrepreneur Development (CEHED), Malam Shu’aibu Shehu said, the project was aimed at Supporting Public Education on the Criminal Justice Sector for Vulnerable Communities in the 3 Senatorial Zones of Kano State.
He said, the purpose of the project is to ensure that vulnerable communities in Kano are better educated on criminal justice reforms due to numerous reported cases on abuses by security personnel across the state.
The training workshop themed: “Supporting Public Education on the Criminal Justice Sector for Vulnerable Communities in the Three Senatorial Zones of Kano State” was organized by CEHED and Juritrust Centre for Socio-Legal Research and Documentation which was conducted in three Senatorial Zones of state.
The over 1000 beneficiaries were drown from Wudil, Bichi and Ungogo local government areas of Kano state.
At the event, the Juritrust provides Technical leadership in legal content development, simplifying ACJA 2015 into Hausa IEC materials and training manuals; while While CEHED provides grassroots mobilization, community engagement, and entrepreneurship support.
The event was well attended by women, youth and the elderly in all the centres where participants expressed appreciation for the initiative which they described apt and timely because of the various abuses they are encountering from the law enforcement officers.
Participants openly narrate different kinds of violations of their right at the police stations, courts and correctional Centre especially denial of bail, detention beyond 24 hours and extortions of money from some security personnel.
In Wudil, one of the participants Muhammad Abdullahi narrates how his son was detained for six months for alleged attempting to snatch a phone after thoroughly beaten by mob. He said “all attempts to secure his bail failed up to the time of this program”.
Also, in Zango Gabas of Ungogo Local Government, one of the participants asked how they will report rampant arrest and detentions of their children by a girl friend of a security personnel for minor offences such as alleged looking down on her.
At Rijiyar Zaki, the participants commended the organisers for enlightening the community on the criminal justice reforms and how they will protect themselves from unnecessary abuses. They called on the organisers to organize regular enlightenment campaign workshops which they described as an informed society will be free from unnecessary injustice.
At the project the Juritrust provides:
- Technical leadership in legal content development, simplifying ACJA 2015 into Hausa IEC materials and training manuals;
- Quality assurance and supervision of Community Rights Desks and referral pathways to NBA Kano and Legal Aid Council;
- Capacity building of CEHED volunteers and Duty Solicitors on PDSS Force Order, emergency response, and ethical standards;
- Policy advocacy and documentation for systemic learning and replication.
While CEHED provides grassroots mobilization, community engagement, and entrepreneurship support in 3 LGAs including Wudil, Bichi and Ungogo LGAs, Juritrust ensures legal accuracy, compliance, and sustainability, jointly advancing the project’s goal to significantly improve access to justice, uphold human rights, and facilitate socio-economic reintegration for vulnerable youth, women, and the elderly in Wudil, Bichi and Ungogo LGAs and Kano State, thereby strengthening the rule of law and equitable justice outcomes.
At the end, the Project Coordinator, Shu’aibu Shehu commended the participants for turning out in mass to attend the workshop; and urged them to make use of what they have learnt and inform their friends and relatives.
He assured them of many more enlightenment campaigns to raise awareness on their rights with regard to criminal justice.
