The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikorodu Branch, turned Sabo Market and its surrounding transport hubs into open-air classrooms during its 2026 Law Week, launching a community outreach campaign themed “From Courtroom to Community” on April 23.
Led by Branch Chairman Olawunmi Adeola and Vice-Chairman Olajide Abiodun, alongside Anti-Human Trafficking Committee (AHTC) Coordinator Tessy Ngozi Osakwe, the initiative was a direct response to rising human trafficking figures in the Ikorodu area, as documented in United Nations data on Lagos State.
The outreach brought together key institutional partners — the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), and the Lagos Legal Hub — to challenge widespread misconceptions about irregular migration and the false economic promises that traffickers use to lure victims.
NAPTIP’s Public Enlightenment Officer, Frederick Uche Oko, warned the public against informal travel arrangements for children. Sending a child abroad without proper verification of the destination’s purpose, employment conditions, or guardianship structure, he cautioned, exposed that child to serious exploitation risks.
Dr. Lucas Koyejo of the Lagos Legal Hub addressed the intersection of domestic violence and human rights, encouraging victims to report early and directing the public to reach out through the NBA’s Anti-Human Trafficking Committee for guidance on complaints and prosecution.
The programme was warmly received at the grassroots level. Sabo Market leadership, represented by Alhaja Mutiat and Princess Adebukola Osho, commended the NBA for taking legal education directly to traders and market communities, expressing hope that such engagements would become a regular feature. The National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Ikorodu Chapter, represented by Chairman General Otunba Waliu Olanrewaju Daisi and over 31 unit heads, pledged closer collaboration with the branch, acknowledging the critical role transport operators play in detecting and reporting suspicious movements.
A key moment of the event was the unveiling of a practical handbook designed as a field guide for members and human rights committee officers across NBA branches and zones in Lagos State — a resource drawn from direct engagement with victims of rights violations and years of on-the-ground advocacy.
As the 2026 Law Week draws to a close, the NBA Ikorodu Branch reaffirms its commitment to proactive, community-centred justice — anchored on the conviction that the most effective defence against human trafficking begins not in the courtroom, but in the communities where victims are most vulnerable.
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