By Olaoluwa Braithwaite, ESQ
Silence. That is the sound of Silence. 60 seconds of silence. Feels like eternity. That is the power of Silence.
That is what awaiting trial indefinitely sounds like. That is what waiting for justice sounds like.
No one hear, so no one cares.
For thousands of Nigerians today, that silence lasts 5 years. 7 years. 10 years.
They wake up in custody. They sleep in custody. And their name is not called in court.
Our data shows 70% of people in Nigerian prisons are still awaiting trial. Presumed innocent under Section 36 of our constitution. Yet punished daily.
Justice delayed. Justice denied.
And the loudest thing about it is… the silence.
Imagine being arrested for not using the overhead bridge to cross the Expressway and being unable to pay a fine of N20,000 and finally ending up spending 5 years in prison. This is the silence we must break.
I am Laolu Braithwaite. Trustee and the Executive Director of the Tunji Braithwaite Foundation. Together with my colleagues at Tunji Braithwaite Foundation, we are here to start a conversation with you, the Media, on this silence of justice.
Tunji Braithwaite – The Voice that could not be Silenced.
Tunji Braithwaite needs no introduction to this current generation. Renowned lawyer, founder of the revolutionary Nigeria Advance Party, Presidential candidate, and Elder Statesman. He spent decades fighting for true constitutionalism, the Rule of Law, and the protection of civil liberties. He advocated for social justice for every Nigerian. He believed that the right to decent standards of living and dignity belonged to every Nigerian. He believed that the greatest asset of Nigeria was her human capital – her teeming masses. He believed that the full potential of every Nigerian citizen can only be attained within a just and humane society where everyone has a voice. Throughout his life he was the intrepid voice of the voiceless. Fearless and uncompromising, his was a voice that could not be silenced even in death. From Tunji Braithwaite, Silence has never been our inheritance.
TBF is that voice now.
Founded in 2013 to honour and enshrine his legacies, The Tunji Braithwaite Foundation exists to continue to be the voice of Dr Tunji Braithwaite. Today, TBF exists because his voice must not die with him. We are here to be that voice again. Loud. Clear. Unbought. Giving voice to the voiceless and restoring dignity to the forgotten population.
We recognise that a justice system that strips citizens of their liberty without the dignity of a fair hearing is a system in profound crisis and one in dire need of an overhaul.
Through strategic interventions, we aim to be in the vanguard of not just championing the rights of the downtrodden and oppressed, but of leading constructive change that fosters societal transformation.
Using the multistakeholder partnership approach we engage and collaborate with diverse stakeholders with the greatest salience across the spectrum to achieve our goals.
March of Silence
On Friday, 26 June 2026, at 11:00AM WAT, TBF will lead the March of Silence26 as part of activities to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Dr Braithwaite’s transition.
This date coincides with the United Nations International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. The UN Convention considers indefinite pretrial detention as torture. On a day when the world stands in support of victims of torture, we will stand in solidarity with the thousands unjustly incarcerated in our country’s prisons.
Their indefinite, unjustified captivity is the psychological torture we seek to eradicate.
The 3-in-1 Commemorative event will begin with an outreach to Ikoyi Custodial Centre.
This 3-in-1 event will spotlight the grim reality of the Nigerian criminal justice system. Ikoyi Prison is chosen because of its historic weight and because it serves as the epicenter of the crisis we are fighting to address. The walls of this institution stand as a physical barrier between the free world and the forgotten citizens of this nation.
Ikoyi Prison, like many correctional facilities across the country, currently groans under the weight of severe, inhumane overcrowding. But the real tragedy of Ikoyi Prison is not in its population density; it is in the legal status of its inhabitants. Most of its inmates have not been convicted of any crime by a competent court of law. They are merely “awaiting trial.”
These individuals are the victims of lost case files, missing investigating police officers, and bail conditions that mock their economic reality. The current system effectively criminalizes poverty. A wealthy man accused of a crime can secure bail and defend himself from the comfort of his home, while a poor man accused of a minor infraction or sometimes no infraction at all, is swallowed by the prison system. They are collateral damage in a society that marginalizes the defenseless. By starting our march at the gates of Ikoyi Prison, we force ourselves to confront this injustice.
From the restrictive gates of Ikoyi Prison to the liberating, open expanse of Tunji Braithwaite Park, we will walk in a unified, unbroken March of Silence.
We will walk in silence for three reasons:
1. To Honor the Silenced: The inmates we advocate for have been effectively muted. Their pleas for help are muffled by prison walls and bureaucratic red tape. Our silence is an act of deep empathy, a mirroring of their total voicelessness.
2. To Demand Reflection: The spectacle of a silent crowd moving through the city is a powerful symbol that demands internal reflection from all who witness it. It is intended to awaken society to the suffering of the incarcerated.
3. To Conserve Our Strength for the Truth: We will engage in a silent, dignified act. No chants, slogans, banners, or placards. We will wear white t-shirts, some of us will have black tape over our mouths to symbolise the voicelessness of those awaiting trial. We will conserve our energy for the exact moment it matters most when the silence must be decisively broken.
Shattering the Silence at Tunji Braithwaite Park
Our silent march will culminate at Tunji Braithwaite Park. Gathering at a space bearing the name of Tunji Braithwaite is not a mere logistical decision; it is a powerful invocation of a legacy built entirely on justice and fighting for the oppressed.
When we arrive at Tunji Braithwaite Park, we do not just arrive at a physical location; we arrive at an ideological destination. We step into the shadow of a man who proved that one citizen, armed with the law and an unshakable conscience, can defend the poorest inmates. It is his spirit of uncompromising social justice that fuels this march.
As we cross the threshold into the park, the heavy, oppressive blanket of our silence will finally be lifted after we observe a further two minutes of silence.
The silence of justice will be broken with short speeches by key stakeholders across the spectrum. Each speaker will deliver in concise terms, strategic interventions to mitigate this crisis. When these individuals take the microphone, they will not merely lament the situation. Each speech will be a link in the value chain that articulates a concrete pathway for a restorative, fair, and efficient justice system.
This breaking of the silence of justice will be a symbolic resurrection of civic consciousness. It will be a bold declaration. We will ensure that the cry for fair hearing resounds so loudly that it triggers far-reaching reforms in the Criminal Justice system.
The climax of our gathering at the park will be a fervent, urgent formal petition containing 3 prayers directed to the Chief Judge of the State. Standing on the soil of Tunji Braithwaite Park, surrounded by citizens who believe fiercely in the rule of law, we will issue to the Chief Judge, our prayers aimed at strengthening access to justice, advancing justice sector reforms, and promoting humane correctional practices.
The Work Ahead
The March of Silence organized by the Tunji Braithwaite Foundation on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture is more than an event; it is the drawing of a line in the sand that will herald renewed public commitment to justice and compassion.
We must recognize the fundamental truth that Dr Tunji Braithwaite lived by – as long as one innocent person is denied a fair hearing, our collective freedom as a nation is nothing but a grand illusion.
To the men and women currently behind bars, holding onto a fading sliver of hope: We see you. We feel the heavy weight of your unmerited suffering. Though you are locked away from the eyes of the world, you are not erased from the conscience of this nation.
At the inaugural visit of TBF to Ikoyi Prison in 2013, Dr Braithwaite declared that those who superintend this injustice are themselves prisoners of conscience.
Our silence on 26.06.26 from Ikoyi Prison to Tunji Braithwaite Park is merely a preparation for the imminent disruption.
We will knock relentlessly on the doors of the courts, the last hope of the common man. We will petition the lawmakers. We will push for reform. We will not stop, we will not tire, and we will not be silenced again until the fundamental right to a fair, speedy, and just hearing becomes a tangible reality for every single Nigerian citizen.
Justice delayed is justice entirely denied. But justice demanded, pursued, and fought for with an uncompromising conscience is justice inevitable.
Conclusion
Members of the Fourth Estate…
We need you to join our quest for a just nation.
You are the amplifier. The witness. We urge you to be on the side of justice.
Your cameras make what is invisible, visible. Headlines make what is ignored, urgent. Questions make what is accepted, accountable.
We are breaking the silence on 26 June.
But we cannot do it alone.
Help us amplify this breaking of the silence.
Malcolm X described you as the most powerful entity on earth. We urge you to use that power for social re-engineering.
Run the story. Ask government the hard questions. Hold them to constitutionalism.
Because when the media speaks, the nation listens.
Come Friday 26.06.26, we will break the silence.
But we will not return to silence after.
The microphone is with you now. Help Nigeria hear this silence.
Thank you.
