EXAMINING THE FUNDAMENTALS OF IDENTIFICATION PARADE IN THE NIGERIAN CRIMINAL PROCESS

Abstract

The paper examined the fundamentals of identification parade against the various existing legal frameworks regulating the practice of criminal investigation in Nigeria. This was with a view to undertaking holistic analysis and appraisal of judicial principles formulated to enhance fairness in the exercise of police investigatory and prosecutorial powers in Nigeria. Adopting a doctrinal approach, the paper employed both primary and secondary sources in its methodology. The primary source comprised international treaties and conventions, domestic substantive and procedural laws and judicial precedents. The secondary source included scholarly text, journal articles, newspapers, and the internet. Data collected were subjected to content analysis. The study found that though victims of crime with their witnesses are at liberty to effectively identify the offender who they allegedly claimed they saw among those who perpetrated the crime during the commission of the offence, they must however do so without external prompting. The study insisted that since miscarriage of justice had consequential impact on both the complainant and defendant alike, it therefore recommended that investigators should maintain neutrality in the course of crime investigation and allow cases to be proved on credible evidence.