Bridging Language, Law, and the Administration of Justice in a Multilingual Nigeria

Publication Details

Publication Date

10/11/2026

Volume / Issue

Vol 1, Issue 6 (2026)

Article No.

022

Journal

British Journal of Contemporary Research

DOI

https://doi.org/10.67693/BJCR-3VVN6YS9

Received

06 Oct 2026

Views

25

Downloads

11

Abstract

Despite the nation's extraordinary linguistic diversity of over 500 indigenous languages, Nigeria's legal system operates predominantly in English, a colonial legacy. This creates significant barriers to justice for the majority of Nigerians who are not L1 users of the language. The place of forensic linguistics in bridging language, law, and the administration of justice in Nigeria's multilingual society, is the enterprise of this paper. Drawing on a systematic review of existing literature and employing Systemic Functional Linguistics as its theoretical framework, the researcher explores the current state of forensic linguistic services in Nigerian policing and judicial processes, the challenges posed by the dominance of English in legal proceedings, and the potential contributions of forensic linguists to improving access to justice. The findings reveal a paradox: while awareness of forensic linguistics among legal and police personnel is high, actual utilisation of forensic linguistic services remains critically low, largely due to the absence of institutional structures, professional training, and policy frameworks. The paper identifies key domains where forensic linguistics can intervene, including police interrogation, statement-taking, courtroom discourse, authorship attribution, and the interpretation of legal texts. It argues that the institutionalization of forensic linguistics in Nigeria through university programmes, professional training, and policy reform is essential for ensuring linguistic fairness and enhancing the integrity of the justice system. Recommendations for integrating forensic linguistic expertise into Nigeria's legal and law enforcement architecture concludes this attempt, thereby promoting a more inclusive and equitable administration of justice in a multilingual society. This paper thus advocates for systemic change.

License

This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License . Free to read, share, and adapt with attribution.