Addressing brutality through community initiatives under the Police Act 2020: opportunities and limitations of Nigerian law clinics

Abstract

ABSTRACT As an aftermath of the 2020 End SARS-countrywide protest in Nigeria over police brutality, the Police Act 2020 (the 2020 Act) provided for cooperation and partnership between the police and the public to address this menace and other issues. However, as harbingers of access to justice in society, the Network of University Legal Aid Institutions (NULAI) and its affiliate law clinics can play a vital part in entrenching the Act’s community initiatives. This paper appraises the Act to underscore the opportunities and limitations it holds for NULAI and law clinics. The paper finds that law clinics have opportunities and challenges to explore under the 2020 Act for implementing its community initiatives in addressing police brutality, using NULAI’s Common Dialoguing Forum (CDF) between the police and students in Oye-Ekiti, Nigeria, as a case study. The article makes the case that the creation of the CDF can be replicated by law clinics in other Nigerian communities. However, NULAI/law clinics can be restricted by the lack of finance and the police’s lack of obligation to collaborate. The paper recommends the adoption of a Memorandum of Understanding between the police and NULAI, amending the Police Act 2020 to remove the stated restrictions and better funding for law clinics.