The Legality of Plea Bargain in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper examined the legal framework for plea bargaining in Nigeria, drawing extensively on its application in the
administration of criminal justice in the United States and other jurisdictions for the purposes of ascertaining its prospects and
challenges in the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria . It also examined the criticisms leveled against the inherent weaknesses of plea agreement as a form of non-trial procedure for the purposes of determining how far the current law on the subject in Nigeria has made provisions to take care of the weaknesses. Plea bargain is generally an agreement in a criminal trial in which a prosecutor and an accused person arrange to settle the case against the accused usually in exchange for concession by pleading guilty to the crimes. The study unmasked the countervailing considerations articulated by judges, legislators and law reformers in adopting plea bargain in the administration of criminal justicein Nigeria The challenges and prospects of plea bargaining in Nigeria also form part of this discourse, it is the opinion of the writers that despite the nuances and otherwise, the introduction of plea bargain into the corpus juris of the Nigeria administration of criminal justice is a welcome development and efforts should be geared towards making its applicability sacrosanct with what is obtainable internationally.