Transformative Justice in Action: AWJAI’s Prison Intervention at Suleja Custodial Centre

Justice is at the heart of meaningful advocacy and transformative justice guides the work we do every day.

On January 25, 2024, AWJAI took a significant step in its prison intervention project by leading a team of University of Abuja law students to the Suleja Custodial Centre.  It was a journey driven by compassion, learning and a shared commitment to advancing transformative justice for people who are often overlooked.

Imagine spending nine (9) months in prison, not for a violent crime, but simply because you couldn’t afford to pay a N30,000.00 fine. For many people, this is not a farfetched story, it is their reality. They remain behind bars not because they are dangerous, but because they lack the means to secure their freedom.

At AWJAI, we believe justice should never depend on how much money someone has.  Our Prison Intervention Project is a direct response to this injustice.   We have launched an ambitious mission: to secure the release of 100 inmates by February 2025 through a combination of legal aid, and financial support to pay small fines and settlement sums.

At Suleja, our team of lawyers, paralegals from the University of Abuja Law Clinic and AWJAI programmes officers met with inmates, listened to their stories and reviewed their unique legal situations. In one round of engagement alone, we met with twenty (21) inmates and began taking steps to address their legal needs and move their cases forward.

This work is more than individual releases, it is about challenging a system where poverty can keep someone in prison, long after they should be free.  Transformative justice means standing in the gap, offering support and working toward a system that is fairer and more humane.

Together, we can help build a justice system that is compassionate, accessible, fair and rooted in transformative justice for all.