Designing a Witness Protection Programme Framework for the Nigerian Criminal Justice System

Witness intimidation and murder are endemic problems in high-profile Nigerian criminal prosecutions, particularly in terrorism, organised crime, and political violence cases, and a professionally designed witness protection programme would significantly strengthen the country's criminal justice integrity and prosecution outcomes. This study designed a witness protection programme framework for the Nigerian criminal justice system, drawing on operational assessment of the current Federal Witness Protection Scheme under AGFN, comparative review of South Africa's Witness Protection Act, Kenya's Witness Protection Agency model, and the US Federal Witness Security Programme. A professional programme design methodology was applied, incorporating structured interviews with 12 federal prosecutors, 8 judges, 6 defence lawyers, and 4 DSS protection officers. Assessment confirmed that only 12 percent of high-risk prosecution witnesses receive any formal protection, and 34 percent of major organised crime and terrorism prosecutions cited witness attrition from intimidation as a case weakness. The programme framework designed encompasses risk assessment protocols for witness protection eligibility, identity relocation and resettlement procedures, psychological support and welfare maintenance, secure testimony provision including video-link options, post-testimony integration support, and programme governance and oversight accountability. Legal amendment requirements under the Evidence Act and criminal procedure codes are specified. Expert review by eight criminal justice and witness protection specialists confirmed the framework's operational coherence. The study recommends AGFN adoption with NJC judicial coordination for video-link testimony standardisation across all federal courts.

Keywords: witness protection, criminal justice, Nigeria, prosecution integrity, organised crime