UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN LAW JOURNAL

Counter-Terrorism Measures to Protect Women and Girls in Nigeria

2026-10-03T10:39:23+00:00

Terrorism is a serious threat to peace, security and development in Nigeria, and the effects of terrorism are not gender neutral. Women and girls in the north-east have faced abduction, forced marriage, sexual violence, forced recruitment, displacement, stigma and long term social and economic exclusion. This article examines whether Nigeria's counter-terrorism framework, adequately protects women and girls against these gendered harms. It uses a doctrinal approach and examines the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, the National Counter-Terrorism Strategy (NACTEST), the Policy Framework and National Action Plan for Preventing and Countering Violent Extremism, the National Security Strategy, the Women, Peace and Security framework, and international and African legal standards. Secondary dats is used only to contextualise the legal analysis. The article argues that Nigeria has significantly strengthened institutional coordination, criminalisation and prosecution, but the framework remains less developed in relation to enforceable gender-responsive duties of prevention, survivor protection, rehabilitation, reparation and reintegration. It further argues that women and girls should not be viewed only as passive victims. They may be survivors, coerced associates, returnees, community actors or, in some cases, voluntary participants, requiring individualised and rights-based responses. The article recommends an explicit gender-protection framework within counter-terrorism law and policy, stronger victim participation and legal aid, trauma-informed rehabilitation, reparations, age-sensitive safeguards for girls, and measurable accountability standards for implementation.

ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING IN THE DIGITAL AGE: A CASE STUDY OF NIGERIA

2026-09-02T19:35:27+00:00

This paper examines money laundering in Nigeria in general, conceptualising it and identifying the gaps in the legal framework designed to tackle this menace. Special focus is given to using the digital platforms to carry out money laundering in Nigeria and the challenges created through these platforms in combating or preventing it. The emergence of digital innovation and technology has a big impact on money laundering in Nigeria. Because digital currencies are virtual and therefore outside the authority of any one state, they are especially useful for the layering step of money laundering. This makes it possible to convert between various cryptocurrencies and fiat currencies, send money internationally without difficulty, and make trading and investing activities easier. Financial criminals can move money across borders until the link to the initial crime is effectively broken by using cryptocurrencies to effectively hide the origin of their unlawful funds. The regulatory developments in the wake of cyber laundering in Nigeria is considered. In the end suggestions for reforms are made, which include enhanced legal and regulatory frameworks, strengthening international cooperation, investment in technological solutions, and encouragement of responsible innovations, among others.

Evaluating The National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2016-2020 (NBSAP) As a Programmatic Approach To Biodiversity Conservation in Nigeria

2026-08-31T16:21:29+00:00

Ecosystems globally face unprecedented anthropogenic pressures, with biodiversity loss emerging as a defining environmental crisis of our era. In Nigeria, a nation of immense ecological richness yet profound socio-economic complexities, conservation efforts are frequently hampered by a centralized legal framework that struggles to effectively integrate the country's vast regional and ecological diversity, leading to significant implementation gaps. This study evaluates Nigeria's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) for 2016-2020 against established programmatic standards, specifically those emphasizing adaptive management and robust monitoring frameworks, such as the Conservation Measures Partnership's Open Standards. Employing a doctrinal and comparative legal research methodology, the paper contrasts the NBSAP with Botswana's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (BNBSAP) 2016-2025, a nation demonstrating a more integrated approach to localized strategies and monitoring. Findings reveal a critical paradox: while the NBSAP articulates key programmatic components and aligns with theoretical conservation principles, its operational design and practical implementation are severely undermined by a pervasive lack of systematic, data-driven adaptive management. This deficiency is empirically underscored by Nigeria's 2024 Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranking of 140th overall and particularly its abysmal score of 0.0 in Bioclimatic Ecosystem Resilience. The study concludes that achieving Nigeria's biodiversity conservation goals necessitates a fundamental shift towards a more robust, evidence-informed, and operationally integrated programmatic framework that transcends mere policy articulation to embrace genuine adaptive governance.

TEACHING AND LEARNING IN THE 21ST CENTURY: LESSONS FROM THE FACULTY OF LAW, UNIVERSITY OF IBADAN

2026-09-25T11:47:55+00:00

The rapid transformation of higher education in the twenty-first century has fundamentally altered the ways in which knowledge is produced, transmitted and acquired. In legal education, these changes are particularly significant because the traditional emphasis on lectures, doctrinal knowledge and case-based learning must increasingly respond to technological innovation, changing professional expectations, interdisciplinary scholarship and the evolving learning preferences of contemporary students. This paper examines teaching and learning in the twenty-first century through the experience of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, with a view to identifying lessons that may inform the future development of legal education in Nigeria. It explores the extent to which contemporary teaching practices within the Faculty reflect student-centred learning, digital technologies, experiential and problem-based learning, continuous assessment, collaborative learning and the development of critical thinking, legal research and practical skills. The paper also considers the challenges associated with integrating emerging technologies into legal education, including limitations in infrastructure, digital access, pedagogical adaptation and the need for continuous capacity development among educators. Drawing on the experience of the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, the paper argues that effective twenty-first-century legal education requires a shift from a predominantly transmission-based model towards a more interactive, technology-enabled and skills-oriented approach while preserving the foundational values of legal scholarship and professional ethics. The experience of the Faculty provides useful insights into how established law faculties can adapt to changing educational realities while maintaining academic rigour. The paper concludes by proposing practical lessons for strengthening teaching and learning in Nigerian legal education and positioning law faculties to prepare graduates for an increasingly digital, interdisciplinary and rapidly changing legal profession.

Public Retributive Violence in Nigeria: Legal Analysis and the Duty of Familial Repair

2026-09-02T19:05:24+00:00

Public retributive violence is a pressing socio-legal issue in Nigeria, having claimed the lives of numerous citizens and depriving them of the dignity and honour inherently due to every human person. It is recognized as one of the most degrading and horrific ways to die. While a few victims may narrowly escape death due to timely intervention by law enforcement agents, the vast majority of documented cases reveal that they are brutally murdered through excessive beating, torture, and ultimately being set ablaze in a practice commonly referred to as necklacing; a form of summary execution. These punishments are often meted out on individuals alleged to have committed offences such as petty theft, armed robbery, blasphemy, witchcraft, and other morally or socially reprehensible acts. However, in many instances, the victims are later found to be innocent of the accusations levelled against them. This article therefore discusses the concept of retributive violence as a form of extrajudicial punishment, while considering the legal frameworks prohibiting it, the police and prosecutorial failures, the difficulty in the identification of the perpetrators, and the inclusiveness of victims’ relatives in restorative-justice and repair policy.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY IN INDIGENOUS TEXTILE DESIGNS AND PRODUCTION IN NIGERIA

2026-09-30T08:45:41+00:00

The relationship between intellectual property and indigenous textiles in Nigeria is intrinsically confounding and raises one of the most significant legal conundrums of the 21st century. At the heart of this complex intersection is the realisation that the existing intellectual property framework for the protection of indigenous textiles in Nigeria finds its root in a largely Westernized IP mechanism that is oblivious to communal ownership, restrictive access to know-how and lifelong protection periods. Besides, legislation in Nigeria has opted for a characterization of indigenous textiles as folklore, an approach which robs indigenous textiles of its uniqueness vis-a-viz other forms of cultural heritage. Against this backdrop, this article explores the nature of intellectual property present in indigenous textile design and production and critically assesses the suitability of folklore protection within the Nigerian context. After an examination of the existing legal framework, the article argues for sui generis system of protection that makes allowances for the peculiarities of indigenous textiles in Nigeria, while also encouraging regional and international cooperation towards a robust system that is recognizable globally.

THE ADMINISTRATION OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE ACT, 2015: WHITHER CLEMENCY? SILENCE OR OMISSION?

2026-09-02T19:22:47+00:00

This article examines whether the silence of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 on executive clemency constitutes a constitutional necessity or a normative gap in Nigeria’s criminal justice reform. While the Act modernises criminal procedure up to sentencing and introduces non-custodial and parole mechanisms, it provides no procedural interface with the prerogative of mercy under sections 175 and 212 of the Constitution. Using doctrinal analysis and limited comparative evaluation, the article argues that although substantive mercy discretion is constitutionally vested in the executive, procedural regulation of mercy processes is constitutionally permissible. The absence of such procedural structuring weakens transparency and coherence in post-conviction justice. The article proposes limited statutory reforms aimed at harmonising clemency with constitutional principles and restorative justice objectives.