Offenses are either actions or omissions which make the person that performed such act(s) or made the omission liable to be punished under the relevant laws of the land. Offenses may take the form of felonies, misdemeanors, or simple offenses. This article is a compilation of the types of punishable offenses in Nigeria. Keep on reading to know what they are.
The types of offenses in Nigeria would be outlined below:
- Assembling a body of men to intimidate the President or the Governor of a State.
- Conspiracy with any person to levy war against Nigeria.
- A Nigerian citizen instigating a foreign national to invade Nigeria with an armed force.
- Intention to effect the removal of a sitting President through unconditional means.
- Intention to effect the removal of a sitting Governor through unconditional means.
- Promoting inter-communal war.
- Attempting to seduce a member of the Police or armed forces from his allegiance and duty.
- Attempting to incite a member of the Police or armed forces to perform an act of mutiny.
- Attempting to incite a group of Police personnel or armed forces to make a mutinous assembly.
- Knowingly aiding an alien enemy of Nigeria, who is being held as a prisoner of war in Nigeria, to escape from prison or place of concealment.
- Importation of seditious or undesirable publications against the President or a Governor of a State, to raise discontent among the populace, promote hostility between different classes of the population, and procure the alteration of an established matter by law.
- Conspiring, attempting or carrying out any act of seditious intention.
- Uttering seditious words.
- Administering, being present, or consenting to the administration of any oath purporting to bind the person to commit offenses.
- Being present or consenting to the engagement of any oath binding a person to commit offenses.
- Drilling or training any person or group of people to the use of arms without the permission of the President or the Governor of a State.
- Being present at the drilling or training of people to the use of arms without the permission of the President or the Governor of a State.
- Forming a society to levy war or assist any person to levy war on the Government of Nigeria or inhabitants of any part of the country.
- Forming a society to kill or injure, or encouraging the killing or injuring of a person or group of people.
- Forming a society to commit or incite acts of violence or intimidation.
- Forming a society to disturb, or encourage the disturbance of peace and order in any part of Nigeria.
- Forming a society to subvert or promote the subversion of the Government or its officials.
- Forming a society to interfere with the administration of the law.
- Forming a society that is declared by a Presidential order to be dangerous to the good of the Government or any part of the country.
- Riot
- Smuggling of weapons into Nigeria.
- Preventing the arrest of any person guilty of smuggling weapons into Nigeria.
- Rescuing or taking weapons smuggled into the country.
- Going armed in public in a manner to cause terror to any person.
- Forcibly entry in a manner which causes breach of peace.
- Taking part in a fight in a public space.
- Challenging or attempting to provoke another person to fight a duel.
- Attempting to provoke someone else to challenge another person to fight a duel.
- Fighting in a prize fight
- Subscribing or promoting prize fights.
- Threatening with the intent to intimidate or annoy a person.
- Threatening with the intent to alarm a person in a dwelling house, discharging loaded firearms, or committing any other breach of peace.
- Assembling with two or more other people for smuggling.
- Publicly displaying any banner, emblem, flag, or symbol, which is targeted at promoting animosity between persons of different religions or factions.
- Provoking the breach of peace by publishing an offensive publication.
- A public official asking for, or receiving bribes for himself (or herself) or any other person.
- A public official agreeing or attempting to receive bribes for himself or another person, for something already done or omitted, or to be carried out in the future, by himself in the discharge of his official duties.
- Giving bribes on account of actions of a public official.
- Inviting bribes on account of actions of a public official.
- A public official abuses the authority of his office directly or indirectly.
- A public official administering false certificates.
- A public official making false claims.
- Impersonating public officials.
- Impersonating members of the armed forces of the Nigerian Police Force.
- Unlawfully wearing the uniform of the armed forces.
- Selling uniforms of armed forces to unauthorised persons.
- Bargaining for offices in public service.
- Perjury.
- Fabricating evidence with the intent to mislead any tribunal in any judicial proceeding.
- Corrupting witness(es) in any judicial proceeding with the intent to give false testimony or withhold true testimony
- Deceiving witness(es) in any judicial proceeding with the intent to affect the testimony of such a witness.
- Destroying the evidence required in a judicial proceeding with the intent of preventing it from being used as evidence.
- Conspiring to bring false accusations.
- Conspiring with another person to obstruct the course of justice.
- Asking, receiving, obtaining, or agreeing to receive or obtain any property or benefit of any kind, upon the agreement to conceal a felony, abstain from, or delay prosecution for a felony.
- Willfully delaying taking a person arrested before a court.
- Bringing fictitious action against another person upon a penal Act, law, or statute for the recovery of a penalty for any offense committed or alleged to have been committed by the accused.
- Publishing a report of the evidence taken in any judicial proceeding which has been directed to be held in private.
- Contempt of court.
- Rescuing or attempting to rescue a person from lawful custody.
- Escaping from lawful custody.
- An officer of a prison or a member of the Nigerian Police Force permitting the escape of a person within his lawful custody.
- Rescuing an insane person during his conveyance to, or confinement in a hospital, lunatic asylum, or a reception house for the insane.
- Obstructing or resisting any person lawfully charged with the execution of an order or warrant of any court of law.
- Having ten or more unfinished counterfeit coins in one’s possession.
- Making or beginning to make any counterfeit current gold or silver coin.
- Stopping mails with the intent to search or rob postal matter.
- An employee of the Nigerian Postal Service issuing money orders or postal orders to defraud.
- An employee of the Nigerian Postal Service tampering with telegrams or postal matter.
- Obtaining telegrams or postal matters by false pretense.
- Willfully detaining telegram or postal matter.
- Retarding the delivery of telegrams or postal matter.
- Removing stamps from any postal matter or telegram with an intent to defraud.
- Fraudulent evasion of postal laws.
- Obstructing post and telegraph offices.
- Obstructing post and telegraph officers in the execution of duty.
- Contravening exclusive privilege of the Nigerian Postal Service Department.
- Defacing the post office and letterbox.
- Negligently destroying it and damaging any telegraph works.
- A telegraph official publishing or communicating the content of a telegraph, is contrary to his duty.
- Making false statements in any written application for passports.
- Making false statements in statements required to be under oath.
- Shooting a loaded firearm at a vessel being used by a customs officer in the execution of his duties.
- Shooting at, wounding, or causing grievous harm to a customs officer while he’s on duty in the prevention of smuggling.
- Violently assaulting or restricting a customs officer or any person whose job is the prevention of smuggling, while he is engaged in the execution of his duty.
- Rescuing or attempting to rescue any goods which have been seized by the Nigerian Customs Service.
- Refusal of a public official to perform the duties assigned to his position.
- A peace officer neglecting to suppress riots in his neighbourhood, without reasonable excuse.
- Disobedience of lawful order issued by a constituted authority, without lawful excuse.
- Knowingly insulting religion in such a way that the adherents of such religion consider the act as an insult.
- Threatening or forcibly obstructing any minister of religion while he’s officiating.
- Disturbing the meeting of a group of people lawfully assembled for religious worship, with lawful justification or excuse.
- Directing or presiding at any trial deemed unlawful.
- Accusing or threatening another person with being a witch.
- Being in possession or having control over any human remains which are used or intended to be used in connection to voodoo worship.
- Having carnal knowledge of an animal.
- Having carnal knowledge with someone of similar gender.
- Attempting to have carnal knowledge of an animal.
- Attempting to have carnal knowledge with someone of similar gender.
- Defiling a girl under thirteen years of age.
- Defiling a young girl (between 13-16 years) who is an imbecile.
- Causing or encouraging the prostitution of a girl under sixteen years.
- Allowing persons under sixteen years to be in brothels.
- Procuring a girl under eighteen years to have an unlawful carnal connection with any other person either in Nigeria or elsewhere.
- Abducting a girl under eighteen years to have carnal knowledge with such a girl.
- Conspiracy to defile a young girl.
- Abortion
- Supplying drugs or instruments to procure abortion.
- Exposing for sale things unfit for food or drink.
- Dealing in diseased meat.
- Fouling water source, be it spring, stream, well, tank or reservoir, to make it unfit for use.
- Attempting to, or burying a corpse in any house, compound, or any open space situated within a township, without the consent of the President or the Governor.
- Selling or in possession of matches made with white phosphorous.
- Using white phosphorus to manufacture matches.
- Attempting to murder.
- Conspiring to murder.
- Attempting to commit suicide.
- Intentionally endangering the safety of persons who use the railway system of transportation.
- Maliciously administering poison with the intent to harm.
- Sending unseaworthy ships to sea.
- Endangering steamships by tampering with machinery.
- Rape.
- Attempting to commit rape.
- Abduction.
- Kidnapping.
- Compelling action by intimidation.
- Slave dealing.
- Bigamy.
- Child-stealing.
- Desertion of children by their parents, guardian or any other person having the lawful right to take care of a child under twelve years.
- Publication of defamatory matter.
- Stealing.
- Concealing wills with the intent to defraud.
- Killing animals with the intent to steal.
- Fraudulently dealing with minerals in mines.
- Bringing stolen goods into Nigeria.
- Fraudulent disposition of mortgaged goods.
- Attempted robbery.
- Conspiring to commit robbery.
- Robbery.
- Burglary.
- Obtaining goods by false pretense.
- Pretending to exercise witchcraft or tell fortunes.
- Receiving stolen property.
- Unlawful possession of arms belonging to armed or police forces.
- Trustees fraudulently disposing of trust property.
- Fraudulent false accounting.
- Arson.
- Attempting to commit arson.
- Setting fire to crops and growing plants.
- Attempting to set fire to crops.
- Sending letters threatening to burn or destroy.
- Forgery.
- Demanding property upon forged testamentary instruments.
- Purchasing forged bank notes.
- Unlawful inquiries relating to the possibility of forgery.
- Illegal production of a ballot paper to be used for an election exercise.
- A Presidential Candidate incurring more than NGN 1,000,000,000 as election expenses.
- A Governorship Candidate incurring more than NGN 200,000,000 as election expenses.
- A Senatorial Candidate exceeding NGN 40,000,000 as election expenses.
- A House of Representatives Candidate exceeding NGN 20,000,000 as election expenses.
- A candidate for State Assembly election exceeding NGN10,000,000 as election expenses.
- Dangerous driving.
- Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
- Driving without seatbelts.
- Registering more than once during INEC Voters Registration.
- Driving with worn-out tyres or without a spare tyre.
- Wrongful overtaking while driving.
- Announcing or publishing a false election result.
- Vote buying during the election.
- Operating a vehicle with forged documents.
According to the Criminal Code Act, for somebody to be liable to be punished for any of these listed offenses, you either had committed one of the above; aided another person in committing the offense; procured someone to commit the offense; or enabled the offense by not doing anything to stop the person from carrying out the crime.