Feminist Jurisprudence and the Reform of Sexual Offences Law in Nigeria: A Critical Analysis

Sexual offences law in Nigeria reflects historical legislative frameworks that feminist legal scholars have identified as perpetuating gender inequality through definitional bias, evidential burdens that disadvantage complainants, and sentencing frameworks that inadequately reflect the severity of sexual violence. The enactment of the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act 2015 and its domestication in various states represents a significant legislative reform initiative, yet its adequacy from a feminist jurisprudential perspective remains analytically underexplored. This research undertakes a critical feminist jurisprudential analysis of sexual offences law reform in Nigeria, examining VAPP provisions, judicial interpretation, and prosecutorial practice through the conceptual lenses of dominance feminism, intersectionality, and transformative constitutionalism. A doctrinal and critical legal methodology was employed, drawing on judicial decisions from 2015 to 2024, legislative history materials, and empirical research on prosecution outcomes across six states. Secondary sources include feminist legal scholarship, UN Special Rapporteur reports on violence against women in Nigeria, and comparative sexual offences law reform studies from South Africa and Ghana. The study contributes an original feminist doctrinal critique of VAPP implementation, identifying specific judicial interpretations that perpetuate gendered harm notwithstanding the statute's progressive intent. Recommendations for interpretive guidelines, legislative amendments, and judicial training are advanced from a feminist jurisprudential perspective. Keywords: feminist jurisprudence, sexual offences, VAPP, gender, legal reform.