On Thursday, 27 March 2025, the first-ever Community Justice Centre (CJC) in Imo State, Nigeria, opened its doors to the public in Owerri, the state capital, marking a major milestone in efforts to bring fair, accessible, and people-centred justice services closer to communities.
This new centre is a pilot project which aims to offer a fresh approach to justice delivery and make it easier, faster, and more affordable for people to resolve everyday legal problems—particularly those related to domestic violence, family disputes, and land issues. The centres aim to make it easier for people to access justice by bringing together different services in one nearby location, where they can get help and be referred to the right support. Trained Ward Liaison Officers will also visit communities across Imo State directly, helping people explore options for resolving disputes and enrolling them at the centre.
The CJC is expected to handle up to 250 cases per month through a combination of walk-in visits and community outreach. One hundred direct visitors to the centre are expected in addition to the outreach work by three Community Justice Ward Liaison Officers who will visit communities across the state and are expected to advise between 30 and 50 people a month.
Informal justice providers such as traditional rulers, village heads, and religious counselors will also play an active role, supported by the centre with additional skills and legal knowledge.
A Solution Born from Local Data and Co-Creation
The roots of the CJC model trace back to a HiiL 2023 Justice Needs and Satisfaction Survey, which found that 102 million legal problems in Nigeria are not resolved fairly or expeditiously each year, ranging from crime and land disputes to domestic violence and housing issues. Most people, the data showed, did not turn to lawyers or courts. Only 5% consulted a lawyer, and just 1% approached a formal court. Instead, people turned to family (43%) or friends (24%) or simply did nothing—often leading to worsening problems, financial loss, and stress-related illness.
In response, a series of Justice Transformation and Innovation Labs were held between 2020 and 2023, bringing together representatives from the Imo State government, justice providers, civil society organisations, and community leaders. Using the survey data, the group set priorities and co-designed a new model: Community Justice Centres.
“For far too long, many in Imo State have struggled to access justice, and the CJC bridges this gap by bringing justice closer to the people.”
The CJC aims to complement existing justice services and fill important gaps by offering a more accessible approach: helping people resolve problems early, affordably, and close to home. It will focus on providing clear legal information and guidance, and connecting people to the right mix of formal and informal justice services through a referral system. This approach aims to reduce confusion about where to go for help—and can prevent people from feeling they have no choice but to take justice into their own hands.
The pilot is being led by a Steering Committee of 14 Imo-based organisations. This multi-sector group advises on the pilot and supports the coordination and referrals. The physical infrastructure and management of the day-to-day operations is provided by a key Steering Committee partner, Nkemjika Development Foundation Nkemjika Development Foundation (NDF). Sustainability plans include modest user fees, registration fees for legal professionals, and fundraising events.
“The opening of the Community Justice Centre is a transformative moment for the people of Imo State,” says Evangelist Michael Obinna Ikoku, founder Nkemijka Development Foundation.
“For far too long, many in Imo State have struggled to access justice, and the CJC bridges this gap by bringing justice closer to the people and providing practical solutions to domestic violence, family disputes, and land issues. For the Nkemjika Development Foundation, this milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to empowering communities, strengthening justice systems, and ensuring that everyone has the right to fairness and protection.“
From Pilot to Policy: A Scalable Vision
Although this is a single-centre pilot, the long-term goal is on state-wide impact. The design has been developed with scalability in mind: the CJCs can be housed within existing Local Government Development Centres across Imo State, providing a pathway to reach over 650 communities and there is interest from the state government in supporting the rollout of additional centres. Should the pilot be successful, it could become a nationwide model.
“This pilot may begin with just one centre, but its significance reaches far beyond Imo,” said Ijeoma Nwafor, HiiL’s Nigeria Country Representative. “It’s a locally driven solution, built with and by the critical stakeholders and civil society organisations that shows how we can address justice problems early, before they escalate into conflict or instability. If scaled, models like this can transform how justice is delivered across Nigeria.”
And so, as the first pilot centre opens in Owerri, all eyes will be on how this model performs—not just in terms of numbers served but in its ability to shift the justice experience for people who have long been excluded from formal legal remedies. If successful, it may offer a compelling case for reimagining access to justice, not just in Imo State but across Nigeria.
