NCJ Number
86216
Date Published
1982
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study focuses on the status of the victim in Nigerian criminal law, the role of the victim in crime detection, the victim's influence on offender diversion, and the relation of the victim to criminal procedure.
Abstract
In Nigerian criminal law, the victim's role in an offense is implicitly recognized by defining the severity of an offense according to the degree of victim precipitation or provocation of the offense. The law, which is the heritage of colonialism, does not provide for victim compensation. This policy conflicts with traditional Nigerian social norms which have insisted on compensation or restitution by the offender. Victim involvement in the crime detection process has not proven very helpful. The general experience of the police has been that victims are not able to describe offenders so as to assist police in the search for suspects; however, victims do tend to identify suspects when they are presented to them by police, particularly in lineups. Further, because of the distance of police stations from some rural regions, victims are reluctant to cooperate with police when it involves long journeys to the stations. Many victims are also reluctant to become involved in criminal procedure against a suspect for a number of reasons, including the time involved, a mistrust of the authorities, and an unwillingness to see offenders with whom they have some relationship subjected to the punitive measures of the criminal justice system. This has made diversion a preferred alternative, since it involves less processing time and is less punitive. Another factor contributing to the unwillingness of victims to commit themselves to involvement in criminal procedure is the general ineptness of prosecutors, making it unlikely that convictions will result from the victim's investment of time. Fifteen references are listed.