Mary Ikhine

A Fiction Writer, storyteller and content creator

[CivicHive @CivicHive]

🇳🇬 June 12 reminds us that democracy is more than elections, it is the freedom to live, learn, and thrive.

From Chibok to Dapchi to Kankara and now Ogbomosho, too many children have had their education disrupted by insecurity.

As we reflect today, we ask:
Can democracy truly thrive if children cannot safely go to school?

Because a nation cannot truly be free while its children are afraid.

#DemocracyDay #June12 #LearnWithCivicHive #LWCH #Democracy

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

In Nigeria today, you’re one allegation away from becoming a prison statistic.

One powerful man’s suspicion.
One law enforcement agent’s abuse of power.
One delayed legal advice.

Suddenly, you’re behind bars, enduring physical and mental abuse that the Anti-Torture Act criminalizes.

Throwback to six beneficiaries of our pro bono support speaking in painful detail about the torture they endured.
#EndTortureInNigeria #ExposeAbuse #Nigeria

[GBAMI NIGERIA @gbami_by_gavel]

🟠More people need to know this: Enduring domestic abuse is a threat to your life! 🚩️❌

📽️: @Ekata_Dates

#NoToIPV #EndGBV #Nigeria

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

Our 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣5️⃣ Impact in Numbers 📈🚀

As 2025 draws to a close, we take stock of the impact made possible through the invaluable support of our donors, partners, staff, and you, our amazing community 🧡

Through our initiatives, from connecting 33,000 people to free, instant legal insight on https://t.co/CYnmJZVmpi, to launching our Online and Sexual Violence response arm @gbami_by_gavel, to holding big tech like TikTok accountable, and now launching IRIS, Nigeria’s first diagnostic behaviour assessment platform, we can make bold to say that we have meaningfully advanced the cause of justice, accountability, and human rights in Nigeria and beyond.

Our mission continues at a larger scale in 2026. Stay with us! 🚀

#Nigeria #2025wrap #Gavel

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

After spending 1 year and 3 months in prison, we have successfully secured the release of this 23-year-old who had been wrongly accused, hastily arraigned for theft, and abandoned in prison without any legal representation.

On Friday, 14th February 2025, while our legal team in Lagos was at the Ogba Magistrate Court representing another victim of injustice, we found Rahman.

From what we gathered, in September 2024, the complainant had Rahman arrested after seeing him try to sell scrap iron to individuals within their estate. The complainant claimed that items from their company had gone missing and, without presenting any evidence, accused Rahman of stealing them even though the scrap iron he carried did not belong to her or her company.

We took up the case, and for the next 9 months, we showed up in court on his behalf. Finally, justice prevailed. Rahman regained his freedom last Friday, as the case was struck out due to lack of diligent prosecution, just in time for him to celebrate his 24th birthday on the 12th of December. May justice always prevail.

#AccessToJustice #Nigeria #PrisonDecongestion

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

The Police and Judges are often blamed for the slow pace of justice delivery in Nigeria, but there’s another key player that needs to do better, the Directorate of Public Prosecution (DPP).

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

After over 7 months in custody, we have successfully secured the release of Mr. Alani from Kirikiri Correctional Centre.

After spending months without legal representation, his family reached out to our legal team in Lagos. During intake, Mr. Alani admitted to stealing by conversion — he had defaulted on a ₦2.9 million hire purchase agreement for a commercial bus, retaining the vehicle without completing payment.

Our team immediately engaged the complainant, initiating dialogue and proposing a structured repayment plan. After careful negotiation and trust-building, the complainant agreed to the terms, and we facilitated Mr. Alani’s release.

This case is a clear example of how Alternative Dispute Resolution can significantly improve Nigeria’s justice system.

When minor, non-violent offenses are resolved through dialogue and restitution rather than prolonged incarceration, we not only reduce the burden on our correctional facilities, but we also protect individuals from the deeper harm that often comes with extended detention.

May justice always prevail.
#AccessToJustice #Nigeria #PrisonDecongestion

[Mary Ikhine @Ekata_Dates]

This is how I look away when I find out you don't use Podus AI powered by @citizen_gavel

You need to be legally aware and Podus AI is just the app for you.

[Mary Ikhine @Ekata_Dates]

It was amazing with #poliZ at the Youth Forward Summit last Saturday.

From meaningful conversations, to sharing on behalf of @citizen_gavel “The State of Civic Tech & Adoption in Nigeria”* — it was a moment to spotlight how technology is transforming access to justice.

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

VIGILANTE REMANDED FOR ALLEGEDLY RAPING AND ATTEMPTING TO KILL TAILOR IN HER SHOP.
Our GBV response team @gbami_by_gavel
has secured the arrest of a local vigilante in Ibadan who raped and nearly killed our client in her tailoring shop💔💔

Sade here is another sad evidence that lends credence to the fact that women are disproportionately unsafe in Nigeria. Her only 'crime' was choosing to work overnight in her shop, believing she was protected by the presence of the local vigilante. Later that night, the same vigilante masked up, attacked, and raped her.

During the struggle, she saw his face. Realizing she would be able to identify him, he attempted to kill her. It was only when she screamed for help that he fled, leaving her with severe injuries to her ear, head, and other sensitive areas.

Sade's family reached out to our GBV response team @gbami_by_gavel who have since taken the case up unwaveringly, despite the perpetrator's relatives' attempts to silence and buy the survivor off.

The team will ensure that the perpetrator faces the full consequences of his actions in accordance with the law.

Further updates will be provided as the case progresses.
#EndGBV #Nigeria #GBVNotOnMyWatch

[GBAMI NIGERIA @gbami_by_gavel]

⚠️*VIEWER DISCRETION ADVISED*
We can confirm the arrest of a local vigilante in Ibadan who raped & nearly murdered this lady after she stayed late to work at her shop.

Investigations are ongoing with the authorities.We'll ensure he faces the full weight of the law.

Updates soon

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

We have now secured the release of 19-year-old Grace, who had been held at the Kirikiri Correctional Centre on allegations of theft by her employer. After our legal team in Lagos took on her case, the court facilitated an amicable resolution between the parties, and the matter has now been dismissed.

Commendably, her case was promptly attended to, and during her time in custody, Grace was empowered with a skill she now puts into practice, as seen in the video below.

This reflects the very vision behind Late President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 decision to rename prisons as correctional centres, signalling a shift in philosophy: to correct, not condemn; to rehabilitate, not just punish.

In like manner, we urge that expedited justice and effective dispute resolution continue to be the norm rather than the exception, especially in minor cases where far too many people still languish behind bars.

Many Graces still sit in correctional centers across the country without legal representation or hope of a second chance. Know one? Please shoot us a DM.
May justice always prevail.
#AccessToJustice #Nigeria #Probono

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

We have now secured the release of these two men who, since August 2024, shuffled between state CID, Panti, and Ikoyi Correctional Center all because of scrap iron.

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

Freedom, finally!✊️
After months of injustice, we have now secured the release of a man arrested in February for confronting the thief who stole his phone in Mabushi, Abuja.

It happened that our client's phone was forcefully grabbed while taking a walk on the streets of Mabushi in February. Devastated, he immediately tried to report the incident at a nearby police station in Mabushi but was denied entry.

Days later, he spotted the man who had taken his phone and confronted him. This led to a scuffle during which the alleged thief called on thugs to beat Umar up and then called the police. The police arrived and, without a proper investigation, arrested our client and left the assailants untouched.

After detaining him for several days, he was charged to court, but the case barely moved. The prosecution, repeatedly absent, failed to appear in court each time the matter was called.

When our legal team in Abuja found Umar in June, the fifth hearing was next. Finally, on July 2nd, 2025, with the prosecution absent once again, our legal team applied to have the matter struck out for lack of diligent prosecution. The court granted the request, and Umar finally regained his freedom.

Umar’s case exposes yet another recurring flaw in the Nigerian justice system where vulnerable Nigerians are denied access to the very system meant to protect them. That such a case even made it to court without due investigation is troubling.

Again, the trend where a prosecution shows no interest in proving its case, yet the accused remains trapped for months without consequence, is not a good look and must be urgently addressed. May justice always prevail.

#AccessToJustice #PrisonDecongestion #Nigeria

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

FREEDOM AT LAST!!✊️
Our legal team in Lagos has now secured the release of this man who went from spending a night at his friends’ house to being detained in Kirikiri since last year.

We met Uche during a routine visit to Kirikiri Correctional Centre in 2024, and his story was deeply striking. He had been arrested alongside two of his friends after sleeping over at their residence unaware that they had been involved in burglary, stealing from a neighbor’s abandoned apartment. Since then, he had remained in custody and without legal representation.

Upon further inquiry, our legal team took up his case and remained committed in court since then. At last, just last week, our client was discharged and acquitted on all counts while his friends were sentenced.

Like Uche lost one year of his life simply because of proximity to suspects, our prisons are filled with many innocent others facing the same injustice. Thus, it bears emphasizing that while the police may effect an arrest based on reasonable suspicion, it is incumbent on them to promptly investigate and separate the innocent from the guilty.

Unlike the other two defendants, no evidence ever linked Uche to the crime, yet he remained behind bars and without representation. This routine pretrial detention of individuals without access to legal counsel is a dent on the Nigerian justice system and must no longer be overlooked.

May justice always prevail.
#AccessToJustice #PrisonDecongestion #Nigeria

[Headfort Foundation for Justice @HeadfortF]

Your passion lights the path we walk.
Your leadership gives us strength.
And your heart reminds us that justice must be human first.

Thank you, for showing us what it means to lead with purpose, fight with love, and never give up on justice.

Keep shining boss!

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

Another Victory for Justice!✊️ We have now secured the release of another innocent man who had spent the last 4 months in Kirikiri due to silly profiling and wrong accusations 💔💔

On the day of his arbitrary arrest in late February, a burglary had occurred in the community where our client was moving through, trying to make ends meet as a scavenger.

On seeing him, the street security immediately concluded that he must be responsible. Why? Because he was unfamiliar to the neighborhood, Northern and 'looked like thieves.'

Despite finding nothing incriminating after searching and interrogating him, they still handed him over to the police, insisting he had to be one of the burglars. The police, too, in their usual manner, accepted this baseless claim, detained him without charge, and promptly remanded him to prison, until our legal team in Lagos found him.

As a people, we have a duty to sanitize our justice system by placing facts above suspicion and prejudice. Profiling people and arresting them indefinitely just because they are vulnerable is inhumane and unconscionable.

Again, this case highlights the prevalence of arbitrary arrests, slow prosecution, and a justice system in which anyone can initiate an arrest based on a mere whim, leaving innocent people to waste away, without proper investigation or evidence. May justice always prevail.

#JusticeWins
#AccessToJustice
#HumanRightsMatter

[Mary Ikhine @Ekata_Dates]

Have you ever stood as a Surety for a stranger or someone you barely know before?

How did your heart do you?

#surety
#justicesystem
#podusai
#citizensgavel⚖️
#correctionalcentre

[Mary Ikhine @Ekata_Dates]

I was so pained watching this ... These guys are so young ... God help us in Nigeria

[#AiForJustice @citizen_gavel]

“Over 200 people, na me dey fetch their water, pack their sh**.” 💔🥲

Six men arbitrarily arrested and detained in Ikoyi Correctional Center narrate the dehumanizing reality they endured before we found them. 💔
🎥 https://t.co/tNrlqkpThJ

[GBAMI NIGERIA @gbami_by_gavel]

🟠 Online Gender-Based Violence is real and knows no gender.

Whenever you feel threatened or harassed, have it at the back of your mind that you have a safe space to turn to, at no cost.
#endogbv
#gbami
#onlinesafety