NCJ Number
180031
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 1999 Pages: 293-306
Date Published
1999
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This article examines from a social context perspective the origin and development of Nigeria's criminal justice system.
Abstract
The history of Nigeria's criminal justice system dates back to the colonization of the country in the late 1800s by Europeans, who introduced imprisonment based on their own correctional systems. Some of the events that influenced the development of Nigeria's criminal justice system include the British occupation of the country, the Nigeria-Europe confrontation, and the slave trade. Although some British participants had humanistic and religious inclinations, the Nigerian criminal justice system was formed to protect the Europeans from the natives they were exploiting and oppressing. The British influence was strongest in police, courts, and prison administration. The British colonial establishment in Nigeria could have done better had they guided the country, including its legal and judicial systems, in a positive fashion. This would have meant adapting western civilization and the colonial heritage to African conditions and would have required an extraordinary effort and much creative thinking from the Nigerians. References