Headfort Foundation for Justice traces its roots to a pivotal moment in 2000 when our founder, Oluyemi Orija, witnessed a profound injustice in her village, Ijero, Omuo Ekiti. Approximately 30 breadwinners were unjustly arrested because their farms were in close proximity to a crime scene where a murder occurred. Despite many of these breadwinners not being present on the farm at the time of the incident, they endured two years of imprisonment before eventually being exonerated. The prolonged incarceration was exacerbated by the victims' economic constraints, leading to a lack of access to legal representation.
This transformative experience became the catalyst for Oluyemi ORIJA's unwavering commitment to pursuing a career in law. In 2013, she was called to the Nigerian Bar and witnessed firsthand the pervasiveness of injustice within courtrooms. Motivated by the desire to provide access to justice for indigent individuals ensnared in the Nigerian Justice System, she laid the foundation for Headfort Foundation on March 19, 2019.
Since its inception, the Headfort Foundation has been dedicated to dismantling barriers to justice. To date, we have provided legal aid to over 12000 individuals and successfully assisted 600+ indigent and wrongly incarcerated inmates in securing their freedom from prison. Our commitment extends beyond individual cases to address systemic issues within the justice system.
We have implemented diverse projects to create a more just society. Our initiatives include capacity-building programs for law enforcement agents to combat police brutality. Recognizing the importance of education, we translated Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution into four major Nigerian Languages, ensuring that Nigerians know their human rights in the language they understand. Embracing technological innovation, we've designed a digital solution to facilitate easy and fast access to justice for Nigerian youth.
At the core of our mission is a multi-pronged approach that identifies and addresses justice inequalities. Our programs and campaigns actively involve right-holders, duty-bearers, and other stakeholders in the justice system. Headfort Foundation's efforts in transforming the Nigerian Justice System has been recognised by both national and international media, including BBC Africa, Al Jazeera, Nas Daily, and The Guardian UK. Headfort Foundation continues to strive for a Nigeria where justice is accessible to all, regardless of socio-economic constraints, and where the principles of fairness and equality prevail in every courtroom
