Examination of Factors Responsible for Delay of Criminal Justice in Tertiary Institutions In Nigeria

The study explores the various factors responsible for delay of criminal justice in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria. The paper is a review paper that depends on secondary data. Secondary data were employed in the paper. The data were collected from print and online publications. Content analysis was used to select and limit the literatures to the minimum size.  The study concluded that bureaucratic and administrative bottlenecks, inadequate investigation capacity, poor collaboration between institutions and the police, court congestion and slow judicial processes, lack of clear institutional policies and enforcement, corruption and compromise of justice, fear of retaliation and witness reluctance, insufficient resources and funding, internal politics and institutional image management and cultural and social pressures as the various factors responsible for delay of criminal justice in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. Based on the findings, the study recommends strengthening institutional policies and legal frameworks, enhancing training and professional capacity of campus security personnel, improving collaboration with law enforcement agencies, establishing functional campus disciplinary and judicial panels, deployment of surveillance and digital security technologies, establishing safe reporting mechanisms, promoting awareness and sensitization programmes, adequate funding of security and justice systems. instituting anti-corruption and accountability measures, introducing alternative dispute resolution (ADR) for minor offences and creating dedicated legal units within institutions are the strategies to enhance speedy criminal justice in the tertiary institutions in Nigeria.