The Director General of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Sulaiman Kazaure has said that corps lawyers under the Corps Legal Aid Scheme render free legal services to awaiting-trial inmates as part of its effort at ensuring prison decongestion in the country.
He said that the corps members also carry out pro-bono legal defence for accused persons standing trial for minor criminal offences.
Kazaure made the disclosure at a workshop for legal officers and corps lawyers in the NYSC held at the NYSC permanent orientation camp, Keffi.
He said that the legal services also include payment of court fines for prison inmates for them to regain their freedom.
According to him, the objective of setting up the Corps Legal Aid Scheme was to support government’s efforts at prisons’ decongestion.
He said, “There is no doubt that the objective of setting up the CLAS has been largely achieved through many successes so far recorded.
“It has been in the forefront of complementing government’s efforts at prisons’ decongestion through offer of free legal services to awaiting trial detainees and paying the fines of inmates to secure their release as well as their counselling and reformation.”