Post-Authoritarianism, Truth-Seeking and the Judicial Accountability-Gap: Lessons from Nigeria

While it has been recognized that the judiciary plays an important role in contemporary governance,1 the judiciary’s accountability for its role in authoritarian polities remains a largely elided issue in transitional justice arrangements, designed as part of the efforts to build democratic states. The role of the judiciary in Nigeria’s truncated
experience of truth seeking draws attention to the need for accountability for its role in post-authoritarian societies and potential pitfalls inherent in the continued lack of focus on the issue in transitional contexts. As a matter of policy, the purview of the truth-seeking process, as a transitional justice mechanism, ought to be extended to scrutiny of the judiciary’s role as a key organ of the state and a key component of state building.