The Administration of Bail in the Nigerian Legal System

Abstract

Bail is a core aspect of the Nigerian legal system. It dates as old as the ancient pre- colonial legal system in Nigeria where by a person alleged to have committed an offence and for which he has been arrested is set free subject to certain conditions. Though, this pre- colonial grant of bail may be largely informal, it gave birth to the present system of administration of bail in Nigeria. It is interesting to note that the grant of bail as well as its administration in Nigerian legal system is regulated by the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, for federal offences and the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of various States in Nigeria. This article examines the entirety of bail administration in the Nigerian legal system.

Keywords: Bail, Bondsperson, Nigerian Legal System, Offences

JEL Classification: K 14