The, better known as COVID-19, has triggered a worldwide pandemic which has also affected Nigeria. The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria was announced on 27 February 2020, when an Italian citizen in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial hub, tested positive for the virus. Since then more cases have been identified as the highly contagious disease slowly spread through the general population.

The Federal Government quickly instituted measures to combat the pandemic which included restriction of movement, establishment of testing and isolation centres as well as treatment facilities in various parts of the country. A few states were given additional funds to aid efforts at containing the virus.

However, in a bid to manage the situation effectively and enforce the new regulations, government resorted to a militarization of the civic space which also introduced fresh challenges. The social, economic, health and even domestic spheres of life have all been negatively affected as people struggle to cope with the sudden change in lifestyle.

Lawyers Alert carried out this study as a contribution to knowledge being gathered about the effect of the pandemic, and has documented the findings obtained from a number of Community Based Organizations. The goal is to distill lessons from the experiences of the pandemic into a document that can be used globally as a reference tool for the Nigerian situation.