Forensic Science Policy Development and Legislative Frameworks in Nigeria: A Comparative Review

The governance of forensic science practice in Nigeria operates within a fragmented legislative and policy landscape that lacks a unified national framework, creating inconsistencies in standards, accountability, and service delivery across jurisdictions. This study conducts a comparative policy review of forensic science legislative frameworks in Nigeria and three comparator African nations with more developed forensic governance systems. A professional policy analysis design was employed, applying comparative policy analysis methodology to the forensic science legislative and regulatory frameworks of Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Ghana, drawing on statutory texts, policy documents, professional codes, and semi-structured interviews with twenty forensic science policy actors in Nigeria. The study evaluates the completeness, coherence, and operational effectiveness of Nigeria's current forensic science governance architecture and identifies priority legislative reforms. Findings indicate that Nigeria lacks a standalone forensic science act, a national accreditation mandate for forensic laboratories, or a statutory professional registration requirement for forensic practitioners, placing it significantly behind the comparator nations on all governance dimensions. The absence of legislative provision for digital forensic evidence admissibility is identified as an increasingly critical gap given the growth of cybercrime. Recommendations include the drafting of a National Forensic Science Act, mandatory laboratory accreditation under an ISO 17025 framework, and the statutory establishment of the Nigerian Institute of Forensic Science as the primary regulatory body. Keywords: forensic science policy, legislative framework, Nigeria, comparative analysis, governance.