Innovations in the Procedural Laws on Rape and Other Sexual Offences in Nigeria

Abstract

The improvements made in the procedural law in Nigeria, on issues of evidence, corroboration, compensation of victims, protection of victims and witnesses are x-rayed and appreciated in this paper. The laws of procedure admiringly considered in this paper are the Evidence Act 2011 (as amended) and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. This paper also takes a look at how the improvements made in such Nigerian substantive and procedural legislations as the Child’s Rights Act, 2003, the Violence Against Persons Act, 2015, Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition), Enforcement and Administration Act, 2015, align with the Rules of Procedure and Evidence with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (the ICTY) and the Rules of Procedure and Evidence with the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) as they relate to sexual assault.

Keywords: Mens Rea, Actus Reus, Defilement, Prosecutrix, Corroboration, Penetration

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/87-11

Publication date:July 31^st 2019