Public Prosecution in Nigeria: Institutional Challenges, Prosecutorial Discretion, and the Awaiting-Trial Dilemma

Beskaa, Nicodemusa

doi:https://doi.org/10.66065/ajpsi-k5ltvfyb

Abstract

Public prosecution remains an indispensable instrument for maintaining social order, enforcing criminal laws, and safeguarding public safety. However, the administration of criminal justice in Nigeria faces severe structural bottlenecks, most notably chronic custodial congestion driven by a disproportionately large population of awaiting-trial inmates (ATIs). This paper critically investigates the systemic challenges confronting public prosecutors in Nigeria—including resource constraints, technological adaptation gaps, and unguided prosecutorial discretion. By evaluating the constitutional and statutory frameworks, including the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, this study moves beyond descriptive critique. It integrates Jeffrey Bellin’s normative 'servant-of-the-law' model as an analytical framework to reshape prosecutorial behavior, urging a transition from a traditional 'conviction-at-all-costs' mindset to a non-adversarial adherence to statutory mandates. Finally, the paper outlines targeted, evidence-based reform options aimed at optimizing prosecutorial efficiency and mitigating pre-trial detention pressures.

Keywords Prosecutorial Discretion, Awaiting-Trial Dilemma, Institutional Challenges, Nigeria

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References

Abel, J., (2015) Brady’s Blind Spot: Impeachment Evidence in Police Personnel Files and the Battle Splitting the Prosecution Team, Stanford Law Review, Vol. 67, No. 4, pp. 743–803.
Akpor, D. O. (2026.). Pardon or perverse of justice? A critical appraisal/in-depth interrogation of sections 36(10), 174 and 211 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. University of Benin Repository. https://repository.uniben.edu/sites/default/files/2026-06/AKPOR%20DENNIS%20PROJECT%20PRINTING_0.pdf
Ashiru, A. (2026). Prosecutorial discretion in the administration of criminal justice and the application of plea bargaining in Nigeria and the United States: A correlative analysis. ResearchGate Publications. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/411864545_
Alliance Law Firm. (2025). Nine (9) years on: Assessing the impact of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act on Nigeria's criminal justice system and proposing reform. Alliance Law Firm Legal Insights. https://alliancelawfirm.ng/nine-9-years-on-assessing-the-impact-of-the-administration-of-criminal-justice-act-on-nigerias-criminal-justice-system-and-proposing-reform/
Brandon L. G., (2011) Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong (chronicling causes of convictions of innocent defendants)
Bello, M. K., Alimi, L. O., & Leda, H. A. (2024). Powers of prosecution by lay police officers under the Police Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. African Journal of Law, Ethics, & Education, 8(2), 120. https://ajleejournal.com/index.php/ajlee/article/download/248/238
Barack O., (2017) The President’s Role in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform, 130 HARV. L.REV. 811, 817 (“There is a growing consensus across the U.S. political spectrum that the extent of incarceration in the United States is not just unnecessary but also unsustainable.”).
CELSIR. (2026). Awaiting trial for years: Pre-trial detention and the human cost of judicial delay. Centre for Social Legal Studies and Institutional Reform. https://celsir.org/awaiting-trial-for-years-pre-trial-detention-and-the-human-cost-of-judicial-delay/
Davis, supra note 33, at 1070–77 (attributing the problem of mass incarceration, in part, to prosecutorial discretion in charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing); id. at 1085 (“Prosecutors have played a significant role in creating the crisis of mass incarceration, and they have an ethical duty to do whatever they can to fix it.”
Daniel, S. L., Camille, G., Duren, B., Michael, G. P., Dulani, W., Brian, A. J., (2019), Prosecutor Priorities, Challenges, and Solutions, assessed on 27/08/2024 at www.rand.org/t/RR2892
Darryl K. B., (2009) Prosecutors and Overcriminalization: Thoughts on Political Dynamics and a Doctrinal Response, 6 OHIO ST. J. CRIM. L. 453, 453 () (“Criminal law is overwhelmingly state law . . . .”);

DOI https://doi.org/10.66065/ajpsi-k5ltvfyb

Publication Details

Journal: African Journal of Peace & Social Inclusion.

Volume: 1, Issue: 3

Published: 2026/09/23

How to Cite

NICODEMUSA SAMSONA BESKAA
Public Prosecution in Nigeria: Institutional Challenges, Prosecutorial Discretion, and the Awaiting-Trial Dilemma

[ref-1] Abel, J., (2015) Brady’s Blind Spot: Impeachment Evidence in Police Personnel Files and the Battle Splitting the Prosecution Team, Stanford Law Review, Vol. 67, No. 4, pp. 743–803.

[ref-2] Akpor, D. O. (2026.). Pardon or perverse of justice? A critical appraisal/in-depth interrogation of sections 36(10), 174 and 211 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. University of Benin Repository. https://repository.uniben.edu/sites/default/files/2026-06/AKPOR%20DENNIS%20PROJECT%20PRINTING_0.pdf

[ref-3] Ashiru, A. (2026). Prosecutorial discretion in the administration of criminal justice and the application of plea bargaining in Nigeria and the United States: A correlative analysis. ResearchGate Publications. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/411864545_

[ref-4] Alliance Law Firm. (2025). Nine (9) years on: Assessing the impact of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act on Nigeria's criminal justice system and proposing reform. Alliance Law Firm Legal Insights. https://alliancelawfirm.ng/nine-9-years-on-assessing-the-impact-of-the-administration-of-criminal-justice-act-on-nigerias-criminal-justice-system-and-proposing-reform/

[ref-5] Brandon L. G., (2011) Convicting the Innocent: Where Criminal Prosecutions Go Wrong (chronicling causes of convictions of innocent defendants)

[ref-6] Bello, M. K., Alimi, L. O., & Leda, H. A. (2024). Powers of prosecution by lay police officers under the Police Act and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. African Journal of Law, Ethics, & Education, 8(2), 120. https://ajleejournal.com/index.php/ajlee/article/download/248/238

[ref-7] Barack O., (2017) The President’s Role in Advancing Criminal Justice Reform, 130 HARV. L.REV. 811, 817 (“There is a growing consensus across the U.S. political spectrum that the extent of incarceration in the United States is not just unnecessary but also unsustainable.”).

[ref-8] CELSIR. (2026). Awaiting trial for years: Pre-trial detention and the human cost of judicial delay. Centre for Social Legal Studies and Institutional Reform. https://celsir.org/awaiting-trial-for-years-pre-trial-detention-and-the-human-cost-of-judicial-delay/

[ref-9] Davis, supra note 33, at 1070–77 (attributing the problem of mass incarceration, in part, to prosecutorial discretion in charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing); id. at 1085 (“Prosecutors have played a significant role in creating the crisis of mass incarceration, and they have an ethical duty to do whatever they can to fix it.”

[ref-10] Daniel, S. L., Camille, G., Duren, B., Michael, G. P., Dulani, W., Brian, A. J., (2019), Prosecutor Priorities, Challenges, and Solutions, assessed on 27/08/2024 at www.rand.org/t/RR2892

[ref-11] Darryl K. B., (2009) Prosecutors and Overcriminalization: Thoughts on Political Dynamics and a Doctrinal Response, 6 OHIO ST. J. CRIM. L. 453, 453 () (“Criminal law is overwhelmingly state law . . . .”);