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Nelson Olanipekun is a Nigerian human rightslawyer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of Gavel, a civic-tech organization focused on leveraging technology to improve access to justice in Nigeria.[1][2][3] As a legal advocate, he contributed to discussions on police reform, including the End SARS campaign.[4]
Olanipekun attended Ekiti State University, where he obtained a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) degree in 2013. He subsequently attended the Nigerian Law School, qualifying as a barrister and solicitor in 2014. While at Law School, he developed an online collaboration platform platform.[2]
Olanipekun began his legal career interning at the Justice Development Peace Center (JDPC) in Ondo State, where he worked on legal aid and justice sector reforms.[5] Between 2014 and 2017, he worked at the law firms Bola Ige & Co. and Oluwaseun Dada & Co., where he focused on litigation and legal consultancy.[6]
In 2017, he founded Gavel, a non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides legal aid and seeks to improve the speed of judicial processes through technology-based initiatives.[7][8] Initially launched in Lagos, Gavel later expanded to Ibadan and Abuja.[9] The organization was initially called Open Justice before rebranding.[10]
Olanipekun has worked on cases involving human rights violations, police brutality, and extrajudicial killings.[11] He worked as a legal consultant during the End SARS movement, a movement advocating for the reform of Nigeria’s Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS). However, his precise role and influence in securing policy changes remain a subject of discussion.[12]
According to reports, Gavel started with nine staff members and has since grown, collaborating with over 150 lawyers across 19 states in Nigeria.[13]
Advocacy and Public Engagement
In December 2019, Olanipekun sent a letter to the head of the European Union's delegation to Nigeria, urging sanctions against Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) over the re-arrest of Omoyele Sowore, a political activist. He requested that the DSS be blacklisted and its leadership subjected to travel bans following the storming of the Federal High Court in Abuja by DSS operatives to re-arrest Sowore.[14]
His work has been featured in Nigerian and international media, with various reports discussing his involvement in civic technology and legal activism.[15]
Criticism and Controversy
Some commentators have questioned the extent of Olanipekun’s influence in judicial reforms, noting that while Gavel has provided legal support, independent data on its overall impact is limited. Additionally, critics argue that his public advocacy sometimes blurs the line between activism and legal practice.[14]
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