A professor of comparative criminal law at Nigeria’s first private University, Igbinedion University, Okada (IUO) has called on the Federal and State Governments to increase budgetary allocations to the justice sector and ensure the funds are released promptly and in full.
Prof. Osaretin George Izevbuwa, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) of IUO, also recommended the creation of a first line charge for the judiciary and prosecutorial agencies so that their funds can be released on time and without hindrance.
He made the call while delivering the University’s 27th Inaugural Lecture, titled “Institutional Pathologies and Systemic Reforms: The Gatekeepers’ Role in the Administration of Criminal Justice in Nigeria,” held at the University Main Auditorium, Main Campus, Okada, Edo State, on Thursday, 29th October, 2026.
According to him, Nigeria’s criminal justice system stands at a critical juncture. Despite many progressive laws, deep institutional weaknesses continue to undermine its effectiveness.
“At the heart of this crisis is the dysfunction of the gatekeepers, namely the police, prosecutors, the judiciary and the correctional services,” he said. “Their roles are defined by the Constitution and by statute, but in practice they are distorted by systemic failures, corruption and limited resources.”
The University don argued that once the administration of criminal justice is set on the right course, the wider justice system will naturally fall into place.
He pointed to persistent problems such as arbitrary arrests, detention without trial, and confessional statements extracted through torture or other clandestine methods, despite clear Supreme Court decisions against such practices. He described extrajudicial killings by the police as the most extreme form of these failures, noting that citizens across the country continue to be killed without due process.
On the correctional system, Prof. Izevbuwa identified decongestion as the most urgent priority. He advocated wider use of non-custodial measures, including fines, community service, probation and restorative justice, particularly for minor offences.
In his opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Lawrence Ikechukwu Ezemonye,PhD, FAS, described the lecturer as a distinguished scholar who studied Law at the University of Benin with a focus on criminal law, an author of internationally acclaimed books on criminal justice, and a man deeply committed to serving humanity.
Prof. Ezemonye noted that the University had recently engaged the community through other public lectures, including the College Lecture, Innovation Day Lecture and Founder’s Day Lecture, in line with its core mandate to generate and apply knowledge for national development.
A major highlight of the event was the decoration of Prof. Izevbuwa with the inaugural lecturer’s medallion at which point the Vice-Chancellor and Chairman of the Occasion remarked that “He is now a red cap chief in the academic fold”.
The Vice-Chancellor also presented a wheelchair to Mr. Douglas Simon, a 100 level law student of the Oba Erediauwa College of Law, on behalf of the University’s founder, the Esama of Benin Kingdom, His Excellency, Sir. Chief (Dr.) Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, the ESAMA of Benin and the Universe.
