Private prosecution in Nigeria under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015

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Date

2019

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Cambridge University Press

Abstract

Private prosecutions have been part of the Nigerian legal system for a long time. In 2015, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) came into force. The ACJA provides for, inter alia, circumstances in which a person may institute a private prosecution. In this article, relying on jurisprudence emanating from Nigerian courts before the ACJA came into force, the author suggests ways in which Nigerian courts could approach the right to institute a private prosecution under the act. To achieve this objective, the author discusses: the right to institute a private prosecution; locus standi to institute a private prosecution; and measures to prevent abuse of the right to institute a private prosecution.

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Keywords

Private prosecution, Constitution, Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, Violence, Nigeria

Citation

Mujuzi, J. D. (2019). Private prosecution in Nigeria under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. Journal of African Law, 63 (2) , 225-250. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855319000184