The two criminal statutes applicable in the Northern and Southern regions of Nigeria tend to exculpate minors below the age of twelve years from liability for the offence of unlawful carnal knowledge or rape. This paper examines the provisions of the statutes and advocates for a purposeful interpretation of the provisions to achieve a balanced philosophy of criminal justice for the more matured category of minors who may have committed the offence of rape in Nigeria. The paper calls for the legislative amendment of the Criminal Code applicable in the southern region of Nigeria to reflect the culpability of certain minors who are sufficiently matured to understand the import of their actions, especially as the effect of such actions may continue to haunt their victims.
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Ajanwachuku et al. (2016) studied this question.
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