PROTECTION OF VICTIMS IN THE NIGERIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM: A COMPARATIVE REVIEW

A victim is a person who suffers harm due to the criminal actions of another individual. Acts that victimize people are often considered crimes by the law, therefore these actions are punishable by the state. Nigeria has always prosecuted criminals, but it is only recently that Nigeria started to actively protect victims. A victim has to travel down the various channels of the criminal justice system with the first point of call being the law enforcement officers. A bystander on the outside may think that the pursuit of justice is all rosy for victims of crime, but that is not the case in reality. When Nigeria established the ACJA and VAPPA, victim protection laws were introduced to provide rights to victims as they seek justice. Victims have a role to play in the prosecution of their attackers, albeit a very minimal one. This is because the state prosecutes the accused, not the victim. Victims are relegated to mere witnesses throughout the prosecution. They do not have much say in the prosecution of their accused offenders. The case is left to the discretion of the prosecuting counsel with the hope that he executes it properly. The choices and opinions of victims are never taken into consideration, hence the feeling of hopelessness that victims often feel while seeking justice. The Nigerian criminal justice system easily neglects the victim despite the laws present in ACJA and VAPPA and focuses on the prosecution of accusers. This has an impact on the experience of victims. By default, victims and the general public do not have faith in the criminal justice system. By reviewing the legal frameworks in Nigeria and why they fall short in comparison to those present in the U.S. and U.K., we can identify its weak points. This is the first step in creating a more victim-sensitive and victim-focused justice system as well as creating a fertile ground for victim advocacy and victim support institutes.