June 25, 2025, was another significant day for us at Aganin & Akusi Law Firm, one that reaffirms our unwavering commitment to justice and service. We believe it is important to share this moment with you, not just as a Firm, but as lawyers dedicated to using the law as a tool for change, but before we recount what happened on June 25, 2025, allow us to briefly take you back to when this journey began.

In 2020, our Principal Partner, Aganin Ucheawaji, Esq., entered into a partnership with the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Rivers State, to provide pro bono legal services to indigent persons. His dedication to ensuring access to justice for the indigent quickly earned recognition, and before long, the Legal Aid Council began assigning criminal cases to him. On November 25, 2020, his exceptional service was formally acknowledged by the Council, a milestone that marked the beginning of a deeper professional and humanitarian mission.

To properly frame the scope of our work, we have divided this journey into two key phases: from 2020 to 2022, and from 2023 to June 25, 2025. We will walk you through both, before returning to the event that made June 25, 2025 truly remarkable.

By the end of the year 2020 to 2022, a total of nine (9) persons were set free/released from prison (Nigeria Correctional Centre). The details of the cases of these nine persons are:

1. Suit No: PMC/248/CR/2020 – COP v. Ojofor Arietor. The suit was struck out on January 13, 2021 and Ojofor discharged;
2. Suit No: 128C/MCE/2020 between: Commissioner of Police v Godspower Kanee & Abams ThankGod. Abams ThankGod was the client. The suit was struck out on September 14, 2021 and Abams discharged;
3. Suit No: PHC/3441/CR/2019 between: The State v. Victor Boniface. The suit was struck out on September 22, 2021 and Boniface discharged;
4. Suit No: PHC/882/CR/2018 between: COP v Siakpere Andrew. The suit was struck out on September 22, 2021 and Siakpere discharged;
5. Suit No: PHC/684/CR/2020 between: The State v Uche Dominic Wisdom. The suit was struck out on November 29, 2021 and Uche discharged;
6. Suit No: PMC/916/C/2020 between: Commissioner of Police v Benjamin Samuel. Benjamin was discharged and acquitted on July 28, 2022 following a successful no case submission;

Suit No: AHC/68/CS/2021 between: Anthony Tombari v Attorney General of Rivers State & Anor. He was remanded in Correctional Centre following a remand order from the Magistrate Court and no formal charge was

1. preferred against him. He was granted bail on August 17, 2022;
2. Suit No: PHC/2633/BA/2022 between: Happy Kinanee v The State. He was remanded in Correctional Centre following a remand order from the Magistrate Court and no formal charge was preferred against him. He was granted bail on August 17, 2022;
3. Suit No: 2397/BA/2022 between: Ellis Alpheaus v The State. He was remanded in the Correctional Centre following a remand order from the Magistrate Court and no formal charge was preferred against him. He was granted bail on August 17, 2022.

When the partnership between Aganin Ucheawaji, Esq and Akusi Clement, Esq was forged in 2023, pro bono service was integrated as one of the core values and objectives of the Firm. So as a Firm, in partnership Legal Aid Council and other bodies, we continued our commitment to rendering our legal services to the indigent who though cannot afford our legal fees, are in dire need of same. Also, when the Family Court in Rivers State became operational as a specialized court with primary focus on child welfare, we expanded our pro bono quota to accommodate indigent persons who cannot approach the Family Court for the protection of the interest of a child. Our Managing Partner, Akusi Clement, Esq specially oversees our pro bono cases at the Rivers State Family Court. Hmmm! Let us move on to our summary of pro bono criminal cases for 2023 to date.

Correctional Centre. The details of the cases these seven persons are:

1. Suit No: PHC/653/CR/2018 between: The State v Bright Abel. The case was struck out on April 19, 2023 and Bright discharged;
2. Suit No: PHC/3151/CR/2021 between: The State v Kelvin Onunwor Mole. The suit was struck out on January 10, 2024 and Kelvin was discharged;
3. Suit No: PHC/3569/CR/2019 between: The State v Uchechi Owoji, Victor John, and Emmanuel Kufre. We represented the three Defendants. The suit was struck out on January 24, 2024 and the three Defendants discharged;
4. Suit No: PHC/1865/CR/2021 between: The State v Solomon Okon. The suit was struck out on May 8, 2024 and Solomon discharged. Now to the most recent which motivated us to share our pro bono story with you:

Suit No: PHC/2312/CR/2019 between: The State v Moses Dominic. Moses was arrested in the early hours of December 22, 2017 by a team Mobile Police Officers on his way to his place of work in Ikoku, Port Harcourt, Nigeria, where he was learning spray painting. When he was stopped and interrogated by the Mobile Police Officers as to his place of residence and destination, he proffered an explanation but they obviously were not satisfied with the explanation. He immediately became a suspect in an armed robbery incidence that occurred the previous day. He explained to them that on the said day he was at his place of work and neither aware nor involved in any armed robbery, but his explanation fell on deaf ears. Immediately, he was arrested and detained. Unfortunately, when he could not provide the amount dema

nded for his bail, he was charged to the Magistrates Court where he was remanded in the Correctional Centre because the Magistrate did not have the jurisdiction to entertain the case. In 2019, he was charged to the High Court of Rivers State sitting in Port Harcourt and presided by Honourable Justice E.N. Thompson, on a one count charge of armed robbery. On June 25, 2025, the Court delivered its judgement, wherein it held that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt, all the ingredients of the offence of armed robbery. Consequently, the court discharged and acquitted Moses of the offence of armed robbery. He was reunited with his relative after almost eight years of being in detention.

It is worthy of mention that all the persons in the above cases, undoubtedly, have lost productive years of their lives in the Correctional Centre for offences they were discharged or discharged and acquitted of. As such, we are of the opinion that the stories of these persons are incomplete for it to have ended with them only being discharged or discharged and acquitted without any form of compensation for the wasted years spent in the Correctional Centre and or a programme to properly integrate them into the society. Please, what is your opinion on this?

Today’s story from our pro bono diary was solely focused on criminal cases particularly the story of Moses Dominic because it is the most recent.

Read the full Diary