Corporate Manslaughter: Identifying Criminal Liability Under Nigerian Law

Abstract

In Nigeria, the concept of corporate criminal liability is slowly catching up with what is obtainable in some jurisdictions where corporations having been recognized as separate entities are criminally liable for the offence of manslaughter. Over a period of time, an increasing number work place fatalities as well as deaths which can be traced directly or indirectly to the activities of corporate organisations. There is an urgent need to examine what the position of the law is with regards to such incidents. This paper therefore seeks to address this gap by considering the criminal liability of corporations and the extent of such corporate liability in the commission of the offence of manslaughter under Nigerian law. In furtherance of this, it attempts an analytical review of the above issues taking into consideration the state of the law in the United Kingdom. The paper concludes by noting that since the offence of corporate manslaughter is not provided for in our Criminal Code, with necessary prescribed punishment, then the Corporate Manslaughter Bill be expeditiously reviewed and passed into law.

Keywords: Corporate manslaughter, Criminal liability, Identifying, Criminal Code, Corporate Manslaughter Bill.

DOI: 10.7176/JLPG/98-13

Publication date:June 30th 2020