Police Brutality and Human Rights Violation of Suspects: Promoting or Undermining Justice and Acceptance of State Authority in Nigeria

Abstract Escalating concerns over the erosion of justice and legitimacy in Nigeria’s criminal justice system have intensified scholarly and policy debates, culminating in this paper on Police Brutality and Human Rights Violation of Suspects: Promoting or Undermining Justice and Acceptance of State Authority in Nigeria. The paper interrogates the dynamics of police brutality and its implications for justice delivery and citizens’ acceptance of state authority, specifically examining how perceptions of fairness, accountability, and due process shape public trust in law enforcement. Anchored on Procedural Justice Theory, Social Contract Theory, and Conflict Theory, the study adopts a qualitative, theoretical methodology, relying on extensive literature synthesis and conceptual analysis to interrogate the phenomenon within Nigeria’s socio-political context. Findings reveal that persistent police misconduct—including unlawful arrests, torture, extortion, and extrajudicial killings—undermines justice delivery, weakens the rule of law, and erodes public confidence in state institutions, thereby diminishing the legitimacy and acceptance of state authority. The study further establishes that such violations are not merely behavioral deviations but systemic outcomes of structural inequalities, institutional weaknesses, and entrenched cultures of impunity. It concluded that police brutality fundamentally disrupts the moral and legal foundations of governance in Nigeria. The paper recommended comprehensive reforms emphasizing accountability mechanisms, rights-based policing, institutional strengthening, and community engagement to restore public trust and reinforce state legitimacy.