The Hague Institute for Innovation of Law (HiiL), an international organisation based in the Netherlands, is collaborating with Nigeria’s Ministries of Justice, the judiciary, and other key stakeholders to accelerate access to justice in local communities across the country.
HiiL, which promotes accessible, affordable, and user-friendly justice systems, is currently implementing pilot projects in three Nigerian states—Imo (South East), Ogun (South West), and Kaduna (North West)—with plans to expand to other regions.
Speaking at an interactive session with editors, bureau chiefs, and media executives in Abuja over the weekend, HiiL’s Nigeria Country Representative, Udo Ilo, highlighted findings from the organisation’s Justice Needs and Satisfaction (JNS) Nigeria Report, first launched in April 2023.
The report, based on survey responses from 6,573 Nigerians across the country, revealed that legal issues are a widespread concern, with 81 per cent of respondents reporting at least one legal problem in the previous year.
“Many of these problems are resolved outside formal justice channels, indicating a need for more community-based, responsive justice systems,” Ilo said.
According to HiiL, over 101 million legal issues have been resolved through various means, while 61 million remain unresolved and 22 million have been abandoned altogether.
A follow-up survey conducted in 2024 showed that a significant number of people who had not reported any legal issues in the previous year experienced new legal problems, suggesting that the actual prevalence of legal issues may exceed the initial 81 per cent figure.
“We aim to make justice systems work for everyone by partnering with state ministries of justice, judiciaries, and other stakeholders to co-design solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of each community,” Ilo said.
The report identified the most pressing legal issues in Nigerian communities as land disputes, domestic violence, neighbour conflicts, housing, crime, financial disputes, employment issues, family conflicts, law enforcement abuses, social welfare concerns, consumer protection, corruption, accidents, and documentation problems.
Ijeoma Nwafor, HiiL’s Country Representative in Nigeria, emphasised that land disputes, neighbour disputes, and domestic violence are the most severe and widespread challenges, with land issues alone accounting for 18 per cent of the total reported problems.
“Encouragingly, Nigeria is making progress towards a more people-centred approach to justice delivery,” Nwafor noted.
“This is evident in the collaborative efforts among justice sector professionals and political leaders in Imo, Ogun, and Kaduna.”
HiiL continues to advocate for evidence-based, context-specific reforms aimed at making justice delivery more inclusive, efficient, and impactful at the grassroots level.
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