A diverse group of legal experts gathered in Abuja for a three-day workshop dedicated to training criminal defense lawyers from Nigeria and Ghana. The professionals' goal was to arm lawyers with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide high-quality legal services to clients facing the most severe consequences.
"Defending Persons Facing the Death Penalty" was the focus of the workshop organized by Hope Behind Bars Africa, The Inclusion Project, and the Center for Legal Support and Inmate Rehabilitation.
The program, which was partially supported by the Makwanyane Institute Stewardship Grant, was intended to encourage participants to provide legal assistance to impoverished people in need while also enhancing the professionalism and knowledge of legal practitioners, according to the organizers.
Oluwafunke Adeoye, the founder of Hope Behind Bars Africa, lamented that it becomes a major issue when those accused of heinous crimes cannot afford competent legal representation. Adeoye described the death penalty as an ultimate punishment.
Adeoye claims that the appropriate organization bodies formed a partnership to teach lawyers to successfully represent their clients in court because of this.
Although representing those on death row may not be enjoyable, Mohammed Muniru Kassim, senior partner at Obour, Minta & Co. in Accra, pointed out that the procedure was a highly honorable part of the legal profession.
Kassim emphasized the importance of promoting and providing training for capital defense attorneys in Africa.
Aladesanmi Joke Olamiposi, the founder and executive director of CELSIR, charged all participants during her training on "Cross Examination Techniques" that, despite many of the potential hostilities involved, they must investigate all ethical and feasible means of obtaining testimony from witnesses when establishing their case.
It is your responsibility as a human rights lawyer to remain composed, polite, courteous, and professional even in the face of hostile or uncooperative witnesses. Stay away from conflicts and confrontations, she warned them.
Pamela Okoroigwe, a co-founder of the Inclusion Project who instructed participants in plea bargaining, declared: "There is no such thing as the Great Capital Trial Lawyer." The top capital defense attorneys take every precaution to ensure that their client won't receive a death sentence. An essential component of this significant advocacy is plea bargaining.
The movie "Just Mercy," which tells the tale of an American capital defense attorney who defied all odds to defend a client on death row, was also shown to workshop attendees. Role plays, group discussions, and in-depth interactive sessions were all used in the training.