Transitional Justice Architecture and Post-Conflict Reconciliation in the Niger Delta: A Comparative Analysis

This study develops a comparative analysis of transitional justice architecture and its contribution to post-conflict reconciliation in the Niger Delta, examining the cases of Rivers, Delta, and Bayelsa states in the South South geopolitical zone. Despite decades of violent conflict, two amnesty programmes, and extensive civil society peacebuilding activity, the Niger Delta lacks a comprehensive transitional justice architecture, and this theoretical and institutional gap represents a significant barrier to durable reconciliation. Using a comparative case study design, qualitative data were collected through 90 semi-structured interviews with transitional justice scholars, victims' groups, ex-militants, environmental lawyers, government officials, and civil society practitioners across the three study states. Systematic documentary analysis of amnesty programme records, court judgements on oil litigation, and independent monitoring reports from 2010 to 2024 provided secondary evidence. The theoretical contribution is an original Niger Delta Transitional Justice Framework that integrates truth-telling, accountability, reparations, and institutional reform dimensions into a regionally specific model addressing both political conflict and environmental justice dimensions simultaneously. Comparative findings reveal that existing post-conflict measures in the Niger Delta address none of the four transitional justice dimensions comprehensively, with reparations for environmental harm and accountability for corporate and state violence particularly neglected. Recommendations include establishing a Niger Delta Transitional Justice Commission with statutory powers, incorporating environmental reparations into future peace frameworks, and developing victim-centred truth-telling processes that complement legal accountability mechanisms. Keywords: transitional justice, Niger Delta, reconciliation, post-conflict, comparative analysis.