Appraisal of the Role of Law Clinics in Internally Displaced Persons and Refugee Camps in Nigeria
| Author | Maryam Idris Abdulkadir |
| Published date | 01 July 2019 |
| Date | 01 July 2019 |
| DOI | 10.1177/2322005819840107 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Appraisal of the Role of Law
Clinics in Internally Displaced
Persons and Refugee Camps
in Nigeria
Maryam Idris Abdulkadir1,2,3
Abstract
The crises from the northeastern part of Nigeria and neighbouring countries especially around the Lake
Chad region (Cameroun and Chad) have created a lot of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees
in the country. This has led to creation of such camps that are scattered all over the country, that is, in
the North East, South, South East and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. A lot of humanitarian crises
occur in such camps, the most disturbing of which is a violation of certain fundamental human rights,
like right to liberty and right to dignity, exploitation and sexual assault. This has led to the creation of
Refugee and IDP camps. This article examined the role that law clinics can play in addressing the legal
issues highlighted. The history and development of legal education in Nigeria and how it gave birth to
law clinics was traced. Moreover, the causes of creation of refugee and IDP camps were discussed. The
article recommends that law clinics, through social justice, access to justice and client interview, can
play a tremendous role in addressing the legal problems faced by the inhabitants of the camps, and this
will also help achieve one of the learning outcomes of the course which deals with humanitarian law.
The article further states that the presence/role of law clinics will not only benefit the students of the
law clinic and the inhabitants of the camps but also benefit the Federal Government of Nigeria through
data collection and statistics from these camps, and it will be a means for the government to curtail
human rights violation in such areas.
Introduction
A law clinic provides the platform for the academic and service components of the goal of legal
education.4 The main reason for introducing clinical legal education (CLE) is to train law students to
1 PH.D in View-Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria.
2 Lecturer II, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria.
3 Member, Law Clinic Committee, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria.
4 E. Ojukwu Et al., CliniCal lEgal EduCatiOn: CurriCulum lEssOns and matErials 9 (Network of University Legal Aid
Institutions, 2013).
Asian Journal of Legal Education
6(1–2) 29–42, 2019
© 2019 The West Bengal National
University of Juridical Sciences
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DOI: 10.1177/2322005819840107
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Corresponding author:
Maryam Idris Abdulkadir, Baze University, Abuja, Nigeria.
E-mails: maryam.abdulkadir@bazeuniversity.edu.ng; miaabdulkadir@gmail.com
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