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FOI update: Candidates and scores in the Federal High Court judicial appointment exerciseCase: Defending a Corps Member’s Freedom of ExpressionOpinion: Four Reasons Why the President May Consider De-escalating the Tension with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of NigeriaOpinion: Revalidation or Disenfranchisement? INEC’s Dangerous New Gamble with Nigeria’s DemocracyVote now: What is the most pressing national concern for you right now?Event: NYSC Fellowship Cohort 2026 — Applications Close
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Justice · Rights · Action

We put power on notice.

Lawyers for Civil Liberty is a nationwide movement of lawyers, researchers and community mobilisers. We go to court, file Freedom of Information requests, give free legal aid to people who cannot afford it, and give every Nigerian a direct line to report abuse of power.

Report an abuse Get free legal aid Have your say
CAC-registered: No. 8181103 Court victory: FHC/ABJ/CS/180/2023 Featured on Arise TV
2Public-interest suits filed
1Court victories
3FOI requests tracked
1Government documents released
Who we are

More than a legal organisation — a movement.

We are a community of lawyers, strategists, researchers and grassroots mobilisers united by one vision: a Nigeria where transparency, fairness and accountability are the foundation of every institution and every community.

Our members are positioned across Nigeria — from urban centres to remote towns — so civil liberties are defended at the local level and communities have a voice in shaping governance. We are building the next generation of lawyers who don’t merely practise law, but shape the future of justice in Nigeria.

Our vision: a nimble, unstoppable movement that transforms the legal and social landscape by ensuring transparency, fairness and accountability across all sectors.

Our mission: to advocate for, defend and promote civil liberties by engaging communities, influencing policies and ensuring justice through grassroots mobilisation, education and strategic partnerships.

Accountable

We relentlessly ensure governments and institutions uphold their obligations.

Courage

We confront injustice boldly, even when it is unpopular or difficult.

Ethical & research-driven

Every position we take is guided by integrity, evidence and moral principle.

Visionary & resilient

We act with a long-term view — challenges only strengthen our resolve.

Opatola Victor, Esq., National Coordinator of Lawyers for Civil Liberty
Leadership

Opatola Victor, Esq.

National Coordinator, Lawyers for Civil Liberty

Opatola Victor leads Lawyers for Civil Liberty's litigation, Freedom of Information and reform work across Nigeria. He was counsel for the plaintiffs in FHC/ABJ/CS/180/2023, where the Federal High Court, Abuja held that registered voters may vote with their Temporary Voter's Card. He writes and speaks on constitutional law, elections and governance, including on Arise TV, and mentors the young lawyers of the LACIVLER Fellowship.

victor@lacivler.org Read his articles Watch on Arise TV

LACIVLER is governed by a Board of Trustees, a National Executive Council with six geopolitical-zone representatives, and State Coordinators who drive grassroots Community Advocacy Committees.

Our institutional pillars

Six pillars. One mission: enduring structural change.

Our work is anchored in six institutional pillars: Training, Advocacy, Policy, Strategic Litigation, Reform, and Community Engagement.

01

Training

Intensive Fellowship cohorts that give NYSC corps members and young lawyers real cases, mentorship, research and writing skills — and a verifiable LACIVLER certificate.

02

Advocacy

We speak up publicly and formally — through petitions, demand letters, media engagement and Freedom of Information requests — whenever rights are threatened or power goes unchecked.

03

Policy

Evidence-based research and analysis on governance, law and public policy, so our positions — and the public debate — rest on facts, not noise.

04

Strategic Litigation

Carefully chosen public-interest cases that test the law, defend civil liberties and set precedents that protect millions — from voting rights to the integrity of our laws.

05

Reform

We push institutions, laws and procedures to change at the root, so the same infractions do not keep happening to the next citizen.

06

Community Engagement

Town halls, outreach, custodial-centre visits, free legal aid and a direct line to report abuse — so every community can know, demand and defend its rights.

Through these, we are building a cadre of lawyers equipped not only to respond to infractions, but to engineer enduring structural change.

Cases

In court for the public.

All cases →
Concluded

Defending a Corps Member’s Freedom of Expression

Rights intervention · Filed 18 Mar 2025

After reports that an NYSC official threatened Ms. Uguamaye into taking down her comments on the economic hardship facing Nigerians, LACIVLER formally demanded that the NYSC reaffirm corps members' rights under Section 39(1) of the Constitution and investigate the official involved.

Free speechSection 39Youth
Read the case →
Won

Right to Vote with a Temporary Voter’s Card

Electoral rights litigation · Judgment 9 Mar 2023 · FHC/ABJ/CS/180/2023

The court declared that registered voters captured in INEC's register are entitled to vote with their Temporary Voter's Card, and ordered INEC to allow the plaintiffs to vote in the March 18, 2023 elections. Neither the Constitution nor the Electoral Act limits voting to the PVC.

Electoral rightsINECVictory
Read the case →
Ongoing

Challenge to the Gazetted Tax Laws

Public-interest litigation · Filed 6 Feb 2026 · FHC/ABJ/CS/249/2026

A two-volume originating summons asking the court to determine whether the Tax Laws gazetted and published to Nigerians are the same laws passed by the National Assembly and assented to by the President — and, if not, the legal status of the conflicting texts.

Legislative processRule of lawTaxation
Read the case →
Live FOI tracker

What we asked. What government answered.

The FOI Act 2011 gives public institutions 7 days to respond. We publish every request, every answer — and every silence.

Awaiting response

Candidates and scores in the Federal High Court judicial appointment exercise

National Judicial Council
Sent 6 Jan 2026 298 days waiting · past the 7-day FOI deadline

We requested the full list of candidates and the scores awarded at every stage (CBT, written test, oral interview) plus the final merit list — because merit and transparency in judicial appointments underpin public confidence in the courts.

Details
Awaiting response

Nigeria–United States Health Cooperation MoU (reported ~US$5.1bn, five years)

Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare
Sent 7 Jan 2026 Acknowledged 8 Jan 2026 297 days waiting · past the 7-day FOI deadline

Request received by the Office of the Coordinating Minister on 8 Jan 2026. We asked for the signed MoU and all annexes, schedules and implementation frameworks — including how Nigerians' health data will be governed. (Kenya's comparable deal was partly suspended by its High Court over data sharing.)

Details
Granted

Nigeria–United States Critical Minerals Framework Agreement

Ministry of Solid Minerals Development
Sent 29 Sep 2026 Answered 8 Oct 2026 (9 days)

Signed framework released. The Ministry confirmed it is a non-legally binding cooperation framework (signed 23 Sept 2026) that creates no enforceable financial, investment or supply obligations, and that the widely cited US$700bn mineral valuation is a preliminary estimate whose source data is not at the Ministry's disposal.

Watch Details

Full FOI tracker →

Have your say

You set our agenda.

Vote on the government policy we should investigate next, and tell the nation what concerns you most. One vote per person. Results are public.

You decide what we investigate

Which government policy should LACIVLER investigate next?

0 votes · Open

Which government policy should LACIVLER investigate next?

National concern poll

What is the most pressing national concern for you right now?

0 votes · Open

What is the most pressing national concern for you right now?

See all polls, results & suggest a policy →

Ongoing projects

Work in motion.

Ongoing

FOI for Every Citizen

We file Freedom of Information requests on agreements and decisions that affect every Nigerian — and publish what we get. Use our free FOI letter builder to file your own.

Learn more →
Ongoing

Custodial Centre Engagement — Keffi

Engagement with officers of the Medium Security Custodial Centre, Keffi, Nasarawa State, as part of our work on the rights and welfare of persons in custody.

Learn more →
Ongoing

NYSC Fellowship Cohort 2026

A four-month intensive fellowship for NYSC corps members: advanced training in civil liberties and human rights, work on real cases, policy strategy and expert mentorship. Graduates receive a verifiable LACIVLER certificate.

Learn more →
Events

Show up. Speak up.

Town halls, webinars, trainings and policy dialogues. Add any event to your phone calendar in one tap.

New events coming soon

Follow us on X and YouTube to be the first to know.

Media

Watch our work.

Subscribe on YouTube

A Chat With Victor Opatola

Videos load only when you tap play — saving your data.

Live from our channels

Follow the conversation.

Breaking updates go out on X and Instagram first. Tap to load each feed.

X

Statements, case alerts and live commentary.

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Instagram

Photos from outreaches, courts and campaigns.

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YouTube

TV appearances, explainers and FOI breakdowns.

Watch above Channel
Opinion & analysis

Research-based positions.

All articles →
Governance

Four Reasons Why the President May Consider De-escalating the Tension with the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria

Opatola Victor on why statecraft and diplomacy favour engagement over escalation between the Presidency and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

By Opatola Victor, Esq. · October 28, 2026 · Read → Elections

Revalidation or Disenfranchisement? INEC’s Dangerous New Gamble with Nigeria’s Democracy

Opatola Victor argues that INEC's compulsory voter revalidation ahead of 2027 exceeds its powers under the Electoral Act 2026 and risks disenfranchising registered voters.

By Opatola Victor, Esq. · October 28, 2026 · Read → Uncategorized

Hello world!

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!

By admin · October 28, 2026 · Read →
LACIVLER Fellowship poster
Fellowship

Train with lawyers who go to court for the public.

An intensive fellowship for NYSC corps members and young lawyers ready to defend civil liberties.

  • Advanced training in civil liberties & human rights
  • Work on real cases and live projects
  • Policy strategy, research and legal writing
  • Expert mentorship and hands-on experience
  • A certificate signed by the National Coordinator — verifiable online by any employer

14 fellows certified so far.

Register interest for the next cohort

Verify a LACIVLER certificate

Scan the QR code on the certificate, or enter its ID below.

Know your rights

Carry the law in your pocket.

Short, practical guides. Save this page — it works on any phone.

These guides are general information, not legal advice for your situation. Request free legal aid if you need a lawyer.
If you are arrested
  • You have the right to remain silent and to speak only after consulting a lawyer of your choice — Constitution, s.35(2).
  • You must be told in writing, within 24 hours and in a language you understand, why you are being arrested — s.35(3).
  • You must be brought before a court within 1 day if there is a court within 40km, otherwise within 2 days — s.35(4)–(5).
  • No one may be arrested in place of a suspect (e.g. a relative) — Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, s.7.
  • Torture and inhuman treatment are prohibited — Constitution, s.34(1).
Freedom of expression & protest
  • Every person may hold opinions and receive and impart ideas without interference — Constitution, s.39(1).
  • You have the right to assemble freely and associate with others — s.40.
  • Criticising government policy is protected speech. If you are threatened for speaking, report it.
Using the Freedom of Information Act
  • Any person can request information from a public institution without showing why — FOI Act 2011, s.1.
  • The institution must respond within 7 days (extendable once by 7 days with notice) — s.4 and s.6.
  • A refusal must be in writing with reasons; you can apply to court for review — s.7 and s.20.
  • Use our free FOI letter builder below.
Your vote
  • A registered voter captured in INEC's register is entitled to vote. In FHC/ABJ/CS/180/2023 (argued by our National Coordinator), the court held that neither the Constitution nor the Electoral Act limits voting to the PVC.
  • If your name is missing or wrong on the register, use the claims and objections process (Form EC.2) during display of the preliminary register.
Free tool

Write your own FOI request in 2 minutes.

Fill in the boxes. Your letter writes itself. Nothing you type leaves your phone.

Print, sign and deliver it — and keep a stamped copy as proof of receipt. No response in 7 days? Tell us.

Contact

Justice starts with a conversation.

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Reporting abuse or rights violations? Use the secure report form.