On 20 February 2026, World Social Justice Day was marked with a legal clinic and justice outreach at the Enugu Correctional Centre. The focus was direct engagement with incarcerated persons, particularly those in prolonged pre-trial detention.

The theme, Empowering Inclusion: Bridging Gaps for Social Justice, is often discussed at the level of policy. Inside custodial facilities, however, it has a more practical meaning: access to legal advice, clarity about one’s case, and movement in matters that have stalled.

The Problem in View

A significant number of detainees in Nigerian correctional centres remain in custody while awaiting trial. In many instances, delays arise from a combination of factors — limited access to counsel, adjournments, incomplete documentation, or uncertainty about procedural options. Over time, these gaps compound. For someone in detention, a lack of information can be as debilitating as delay itself.

Social justice, in this context, is not rhetorical. It is procedural. It concerns whether a person understands the charge against them, whether their matter is progressing, whether bail is feasible, and whether any steps can be taken to accelerate resolution.

What the Clinic Addressed

The legal clinic provided structured case reviews and one-on-one consultations. The work involved:

• Reviewing charge numbers and court status

• Assessing the stage of proceedings

• Clarifying rights relating to bail and fair hearing

• Identifying procedural bottlenecks

• Determining viable next steps

In several cases, detainees had not received clear explanations about the current posture of their matters. The clinic prioritised restoring that clarity. Where actionable issues were identified, they were documented for follow-up.

Rights education formed part of the outreach. Many detainees benefit not only from representation, but from understanding the basic architecture of criminal procedure — how adjournments operate, what conditions attach to bail, and what timelines are legally significant.

Inclusion as Access

Inclusion within the justice system is often framed in terms of representation or policy reform. In custodial settings, inclusion begins with access — access to legal counsel, to information, and to processes that move cases forward.

Bringing legal services directly into a correctional centre narrows the distance between detainees and the safeguards theoretically guaranteed to them under the law. It does not resolve systemic delay in a single intervention. But it interrupts stagnation.

Beyond Commemoration

World Social Justice Day provides a useful focal point. The underlying issues, however, are continuous. Pre-trial detention, case congestion, and informational deficits require sustained engagement.

Legal clinics of this nature operate at the intersection of immediate relief and structural reform. They provide individual case support while exposing recurring procedural weaknesses that demand broader attention.

Social justice, in practice, is incremental. It advances through reviewed files, clarified rights, filed applications, and hearings that proceed when they otherwise might not. The work continues.