JURISPRUDENTIAL PERSPECTIVES ON ECONOMIC CRIMES AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA

Abstract

This paper examines how the different jurisprudential theories affect the conceptualisation of crime and criminal justice management in Nigeria, compared with the United Kingdom. It surveys natural law, legal positivism, legal realism, critical legal studies (CLS) and postcolonial theories, highlighting their respective influence on substantive criminal law, penal philosophy and institutions in Nigeria and the United Kingdom. The paper focuses on historical roots, especially, the colonial inheritances that formed Nigeria's legal system, in comparison with that of the United Kingdom, as well as on contemporary legal challenges and reforms. The comparative analysis adopted emphasises key differences in legislative frameworks, institutional efficiency, and rights' protection. The work, eventually, recommends a reform-based approach firmly rooted in jurisprudence and legal theories and reflective of local realities, yearnings, aspirations, ethos and idiosyncrasies, as well as legal transplantation of global best practices, in order to improve Nigeria's criminal justice administration