(Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS), 2021) Professor Muhammed Tawfiq Ladan
Before 2015, the three main components of the Nigerian criminal justice system—law enforcement, courts, and corrections—could not meet the justice needs of citizens and other persons residing in the country. This was due to inherent challenges in the existing criminal law provisions and legal practitioners’ (especially defense lawyers) penchant for exploiting loopholes in the law, which resulted in delays. Some of the existing provisions had the effect of encouraging unnecessary incarceration for minor offences and prolonged detention of persons awaiting trial. The result was that correctional facilities and detention centres became overcrowded due to the huge number of awaiting trial inmates (ATIs), some of whom could be held in detention for years without trial. Hence, Nigerians became bitter and aggressive towards criminal justice institutions. The judiciary lost its status as the last hope of the common man, as citizens had lost confidence in the institution’s ability to deliver justice.
