Barrister Juliet Ibekaku has twenty-six years postgraduate experience as an international criminal law attorney and development expert.
She was called to the Nigerian Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor in 1993. She has a Masters degree in International Human Rights, Humanitarian and Criminal Law and a postgraduate certificate in anti-corruption studies.
Barrister Ibekaku is an alumnus of University of Nigeria, Nsukka, University of Lagos, Nigerian Law School, Hague Academy of International Law, Netherlands, University of Hong Kong Program on Anti-corruption, University of Salzburg, Austria’s program on international human rights and humanitarian law as well as the United States International Florida Bankers’ Association.
Through her work on governance, she made significant contributions to the review of laws, regulations and procedures to strengthen anti-corruption institutional and legal measures in Nigeria and internationally.
Growing up, Barrister Ibekaku’s dream was to be a lawyer – not just an ordinary lawyer but also a lawyer whose role would intersect the critical crossroad of “justice and development”. Determined to achieve this goal, Barrister Ibekaku on graduation from law school, worked closely with women’s rights organizations to achieve her dream.
Her work with “BAOBAB for Women’s Human Rights and Shelter Rights Initiative” gave her the opportunity not only to bring justice closer to the ordinary Nigerians, it also gave her the opportunity to speak out for women and children’s rights. She also provided pro-bono legal services to victims of rape and domestic violence.
From 1999 to 2002, she participated actively as a member of the Nigerian civil society delegation in the negotiation of the provisions of “Gender-based violence” in the Rome Statute during the establishment of the International Criminal Court.
She is an advocate for the strengthening of women’s rights, human rights, and governance institutions in Nigeria.
She is the founder of J.C. IBEKAKU Hope Project and IBEKAKU Multi-purpose cooperative where she supports leadership and entrepreneurial development for women and youths.
She has served in the following places as an international development expert: the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) – 2000 to 2002; National Project Coordinator for United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – 2002 to 2004; the Legal Advisor for the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism in West Africa (GIABA), Senegal and the Commonwealth Secretariat –Governance and Institutional Development Division (GIDD}, London, UK- 2007-2010; the British Department for International Development’s (DFID) Justice for All Program (J4A) in Nigeria -2011 -2012; Acting Director of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, EFCC – July 2012 – November, 2013.
Currently, she is the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform and also the National Coordinator Open Government Partnership (OGP).
She has been involved in various British-DFID programmes in Africa and until recently was an advisor on the development of an anti-corruption program for DFID Nigeria and Ghana. She is also consulting for various law-enforcement agencies in Nigeria on issues ranging from anti-bribery, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, and financial of terrorism measures as well as on financial intelligence. She also provides training on financial crime.
She has facilitated and spoken at several national and international conferences including the EU Anti-money Laundering Conference on Financial Crime, UK, the Cambridge Symposium on Economic Crimes, UK, the Florida International Bankers Association Conference, Miami USA, Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), the Bank of America Annual Seminar on Financial Crimes in Charlotte, North Carolina, International Business Machines (IBM) Financial Fraud Summit, North Carolina USA, School of African and Oriental Studies (SOAS), London, UK, the International Anti-Corruption Conference of the Transparency International, the Commonwealth Secretariat program for law enforcement officers, the Nigerian Police Seminar on Fraud Prevention, the Zero Coalition Against Corruption, Corruption Conference on Whistle-blowing Measures in Nigeria and the Conference on Global Terrorism among others.
AWARDS RECEIVED:
Justice For All Program of the British Department of International Development, UK, 2014 Award for “Outstanding Achievement and Contribution to the Promotion of Justice and Equality for All Women.
Macarthur Foundation Fund for Leadership Development, 2003.
Nominated by Center for Socio-Legal Studies, Oxford University, UK and Open Society for Justice Initiative to participate in the Media Advocacy Training Program, July 2004
Received the United States Agency for International Development Superior Unit Citation:
“In recognition of the Mission’s Outstanding work in the last year, in a country which both the Clinton and Bush Administrations haven cited as one of the highest priority countries for USAID assistance, and in a very difficult working environment – October 23, 2001”.
She is tested, she is trusted.
She is Barr Mrs Juliet Ibekaku – Ada eji eje Mba of Enugu State.
By
Julius Davids
Coordinator, @ Team Ibekaku. Writes from Ngwo
