Aliyu Abubakar, Director-General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, LACON, says 70 per cent of Nigerians cannot afford legal representation.

Mr Abubakar, said this on Tuesday in Jos, when he paid a courtesy visit on Da Gyang Buba, the Gbong Gwom Jos, and chairman of the Plateau Traditional Council.

The D-G said that most of the perpetrators of crime, especially capital offenders, were often unable to afford the services of a legal practitioner of their choice.

The D-G said the mandate of LACON was to provide free legal representation for indigent Nigerians.

He said the council was at the palace to intimate the royal father of LACON’s plan to inaugurate a Committee of Legal Aid Service Providers in the state to address some of these challenges.

Responding, the Gbong Gwom Jos commended the council over the visit.

The traditional ruler assured the D-G Plateau traditional council’s unflinching support to the council .

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the D-G will inaugurate the committee on Wednesday in Jos.

NAN