DSN, a network of Lawyers who volunteer to visit Police Detention Facilities under the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) and who accompany Magistrates/Judges in their constitutional roles under Sections 33 and 34 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act now has a new Coordinator charged with overseeing its Abuja interventions.
Bayo Akinlade, the convener of DSN recently named Mrs. Miriam Ngozi Egbuche as Coordinator of its Abuja operations.
Mrs Egbuche started with DSN in 2021 as a volunteer; engaging in human rights advocacy and ensuring that rights of detainees are not violated at police detention facilities. She renders legal advice and mediates in conflicts at police stations, she facilitates bail for detained suspects and further, collates and documents various reports of human rights interventions offered by DSN members and submitting same to DSN partners/donors.
Mrs Egbuche who holds a Master of laws (LLM) from the University of South Wales, United Kingdom has experience in organising trainings, seminars and workshops for government organisations and parastatals aside from general experience as a litigator and a commercial lawyer
Mrs Egbuche brings a unique dimension into DSN as one who has interned with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice in the office of the DPP as well as in its Commercial Law Directorate.
As part of her accomplishments; Mrs Egbuche has participated in International Criminal Law Trainings, the Comrade Adams Aliyu Oshiomhole National Moot Court Competition and she represented her University at the International Criminal Court Moot Trial Competition at the Hague, Netherlands in 2011.
Mrs Miriam Egbuche, Esq is fluent in English, basic French and Igbo.
DSN again welcomes Mrs Miriam Egbuche, Esq into the leadership of DSN.
ABOUT DSN.
In early 2018, the then Chief Judge of Lagos State; Hon. Justice Opeyemi Oke (rtd) designated Magistrates to visit Police detention facilities in line with Section 34 of the Administration of Criminal justice Act (ACJA) of 2015.
Even though this Act was not applicable under the Lagos State Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) at the time; Hon. Justice Oke (Rtd) was convinced that the provisions of the ACJA was vital in ensuring that pre-trial detainees received justice and besides, it was a good strategy in decongesting the Court.
To support her lordship in this initiative, Bayo Akinlade, Esq., put a group of Lawyers together to accompany the designated Magistrates.
This group was designed to provide logistics and other support to the Magistrates since there was no structures or funding for the Magistrates to undertake the visits.
This group of lawyers organized, had periodic meeting with the Magistrates and strategized on how best to make the initiative successful this led to the setup of a whatsapp group which was named Duty Solicitors Network (DSN).
Today DSN has over 200 lawyers on its Whatsapp platform and over 100 lawyers from both the public and private sectors supporting Magistrates in various States. DSN is unique because it brings together lawyers in private practice, Lawyers in the Ministry of Justice, office of the Public Defender, Lawyers from the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, FIDA and other groups to support and work with the Judiciary.
DSN has members in over 5 States including the FCT and Lagos.
With the local funding DSN attracts, it has been able to facilitate the growth of the Police Duty Solicitors Scheme (PDSS) as well as support lawyers who volunteer to accompany magistrates to visit police Detention facilities.
