CONSTITUTIONAL GUARANTEES TO AN ACCUSED PERSON IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE IN NIGERIA: A CRITIQUE

Abstract

The protection of human rights is an indispensable responsibility of every state and has in recent decades occupied a prominent and focal point in global agenda. This is more so as it relates to the rights of an accused person in the criminal justice system of any nation. In Nigeria, as it is obtainable in almost all parts of the world, there are constitutional guarantees established for the protection of the rights of accused persons in criminal proceedings. However in view of recent incidents of human right abuses in the dispensation of criminal Justice in Nigeria, there have been concerns as to whether the constitutional guarantees established under the Nigerian Constitutional are adequate to ensure that the fundamental rights of accused persons are protected in the administration of criminal justice. It is against this background that this paper examines the constitutional guarantees available to accused persons under the Nigerian criminal justice system. It was found that the Nigerian criminal justice system, when it comes to the rights of accused persons, is dysfunctional and needs adequate mechanism for implementation.