Ekiti Attorney General commends OPD for professionalism
• Calls for more public awareness on services
The Ekiti State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Wale
Fapohunda has commended the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) for
maintaining professionalism in its free legal service delivery to the
public in spite of paucity of funds in the State.
The Justice Commissioner gave the commendation during his recent visit
to the OPD in Ado-Ekiti.
The Commissioner urged both the Leadership of the Agency and the staff
to create necessary awareness by sensitizing the general public on
their duties and profiles of cases which the agency handles which
the people most often direct to the Ministry of Justice out of
ignorance.
Fapohunda, who acknowledged poor state of accommodation of the OPD,
promised government intervention.
The OPD is the state government’s agency saddled with the
responsibility of providing free legal services and representation in
both criminal and civil cases to the indigent, the vulnerable and the
defenseless in the State.
Cases such as assault, child defilement, domestic violence and matters
that require mediation between parties such as child custody and child
maintenances, breach of contract, and marital dispute fall within the
purview of the OPD.
The Attorney-General solicited effective publicity to create awareness
for the public to know more about the workings of the OPD.