Under the DFID funded Justice for All (J4A) programme aimed at speeding up criminal justice delivery in Enugu State- Nigeria, PRAWA developed a Clearing House System in November 2013. The major objective of this activity is to put in place, a data management system that tracks Awaiting Trial Inmates’ (ATIs) progress within the criminal justice system and assigns pro-Bono lawyers to persons without legal representation.

Even though the project is still at its infant stage, it has already recorded its first major achievement by facilitating the release of the longest serving ATI in Enugu Prisons.

Mr. Hyginus Ajibo has been waiting for his day in court for the past 16 years; this information would have gone unnoticed until it was highlighted in the Clearing House system’s process of assigning pro-Bono lawyers to ATIs. Mr. Ajibo was accused of committing murder, has been in custody since 1997 and was charged to the Enugu High court in 2000. However, 17^th February 2014 proved to be a day of relief to the accused as the court ruled and granted him bail pending the determination of his trial. The Clearing House System made all this possible by not only assigning a pro-Bono lawyer to Mr. Ajibo but providing information on the duration of his stay which influenced the decision of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Enugu to accept the bail conditions given by the court.

PRAWA, through the Clearing House System, has taken a step further to ensure that Mr. Ajibo fulfilled his bail conditions and is settled in a temporary place of residence pending the determination of his case. Plans are in place to re-integrate him into the community.