Forensic Gait Analysis and Its Potential in Criminal Identification in Nigerian CCTV-Based Investigations

Forensic gait analysis, the identification of individuals through characteristic locomotion patterns captured on video surveillance systems, represents an emerging forensic identification technique with significant potential in CCTV-based criminal investigations. This study evaluates the potential applicability of forensic gait analysis within Nigerian criminal investigations, focusing on urban centres with operational CCTV infrastructure in Lagos, Abuja, and Kano. An empirical evaluation design was employed, involving controlled gait capture experiments with sixty volunteer subjects under varying recording conditions, applying the Forensic Gait Analysis method to assess inter-operator reliability, and reviewing ten CCTV evidence files from resolved robbery and theft cases in which suspect identification was a contested issue. The study examines the accuracy of gait-based identification under Nigerian CCTV quality conditions and evaluates the evidential and legal framework considerations for admissibility. Findings indicate that forensic gait analysis achieved correct identification rates of seventy-eight percent under high-resolution recording conditions, declining to fifty-four percent with low-resolution footage typical of many Nigerian public surveillance systems. Inter-operator agreement was substantial at 0.71 kappa. Legal analysis reveals no existing Nigerian evidential provision specifically governing gait evidence, creating admissibility uncertainty. Recommendations include investment in higher-resolution public surveillance infrastructure, development of Nigerian judicial guidelines for gait evidence, and training of forensic video examiners in gait analysis methodology. Keywords: gait analysis, forensic identification, CCTV, Nigeria, video evidence.