The rights to "procedure permitted by law" granted to accused persons are not primarily their own privilege. On the contrary "procedure permitted by law" is a pledge to the entire Nigerian Society that our police, our prosecuting officials and our courts will do that which is right and just in obedience to the rules of law which have been evolved out of years of experience. It should not be swallowed hook, line and sinker that the fact that these rights exist guarantees automatic compliance by some officials. Cases abound in our law reports which shows that there have been occasions in which our courts have stoutly prevented the abuses of power by overzealous public officials. In some however, the courts have experienced great difficulty in eradicating illegal methods adopted against accused person. This is so because where the accused persons make such allegations, the courts have found it difficult to admit or accept such allegations since such accused persons have had to prove their allegations and this task has never been an easy one for them. Then arose the question "WHAT ARE THE RIGHTS AVAILED AN ACCUSED IN NIGERIA?."

CONTENTS.

Preface.

This research analyses the rights of an accused person stipulated in the 1995 Constitution of Uganda (as amended), Statutes of the Parliament and the Ratified International Instruments. The research also focuses on how the constitutional rights of an accused person have been observed in the Ugandan criminal justice system. The research covers the journey from the time of arrest to the time of either conviction or acquittal. “Never judge someone's character based on the words of another. Instead, study the motives behind the words of the person casting the bad judgment. An honest woman can sell tangerines all day and remain a good person until she dies, but there will always be naysayers who will try to convince you otherwise. Perhaps this woman did not give them something for free, or at a discount. Perhaps too, that she refused to stand with them when they were wrong — or just stood up for something she felt was right. And also, it could be that some bitter women are envious of her, or that she rejected the advances of some very proud men. Always trust your heart. If the Creator stood before a million men with the light of a million lamps, only a few would truly see him because truth is already alive in their hearts. Truth can only be seen by those with truth in them. He who does not have Truth in his heart, will always be blind to her.” ― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem