NNAMDI-EZE, NNEOMA OLAEDO CHIAMAKA (2026) AN EVALUATION OF PLEA BARGAIN UNDER THE NIGERIAN CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. Other thesis, Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu.
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Abstract
Plea Bargain is a concept and plea bargaining is the practice. The concept of plea bargain has become an integral part of modern criminal justice across the world. Plea bargain under the Nigerian Criminal Justice System is a process of negotiating for a lesser punishment or term and this is subject to the approval of the court. This study critically analyses the concept of plea bargain under the Nigerian criminal justice system, by evaluating the nature and scope of plea bargain, the obstacles hindering it’s application in Nigeria, the efficacy of the administration of plea bargain in the Nigerian Criminal justice system, and the lessons that can be derived by Nigeria from the application of plea bargain in other jurisdictions. By utilising the doctrinal approach, this study analyses the legal rules, principles and doctrines of plea bargain as a concept, by relying on primary and secondary sources. The public perception of plea bargain in Nigeria is not a positive one, as citizens as well as legal scholars view the practice as a means for public officials to facilitate corruption. Plea bargain has tremendous benefit on the criminal justice system, ranging from the inclusion of victim participation to the decongestion of prisons. This study contrasts between plea bargain as applied in Nigeria and plea bargain as applied in other jurisdictions, such as United States of Nigeria, Canada, India, Pakistan and France. The following recommendations were suggested in the study: enacting specific laws regulating plea bargain in Nigeria, enacting laws regulating the transparency of plea bargain in Nigeria, not restricting plea bargain to only corruption cases and providing the minimum and maximum sentence to be offered in a plea bargain agreement. The work recommends as follows; that the Nigerian government should enact more legislation regulating the application of plea bargain in Nigeria. There should be an Act regulating the process of plea bargain in Nigeria, separate from ACJA, that the Nigerian government should enact a law that regulates the fairness and transparency of plea bargain agreements, that the use of plea bargain in criminal matters should not be restricted to only corruption cases as plea bargain has the potential to positively and effectively reduce the overall workload of both counsel and the courts, that the minimum sentence a person intending to use plea bargain can get should be regulated by law. This is to make sure that individuals will not rely on plea bargain just to evade appropriate sentencing and that the maximum sentence a defendant intending to offer or accept plea bargain agreement, should be regulated by law. This is to ensure that a defendant is not punished more than is appropriate for the commission of a crime.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Other) |
|---|---|
| Subjects: | K Law > K Law (General) |
| Divisions: | Faculty of Law, Arts and Social Sciences > School of Law |
| Depositing User: | COMFORT AJALA |
| Date Deposited: | 27 Jul 2026 13:09 |
| Last Modified: | 27 Jul 2026 13:09 |
| URI: | http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/6044 |
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