Abstract

This article considers criminal law protection of property in Nigeria with particular focus on the offences of stealing and theft under the Criminal Code and Penal Code applicable in Southern and Northern Nigeria respectively. A comparative analysis and critique of the features of the offences under the two Codes are clearly spelt out. The English Theft Act, 1968 as amended by the Criminal Justice Act, 1991 and Penal Legislation of other jurisdictions are utilized for comparative analysis with a view to pointing out some loopholes and lacunas in the Criminal Code and the Penal Code with particular regard to the two offences. At the tail of the article, the writers proffered suggestions for the way forward and the need for legislative intervention to redraft some of the provisions of the two Codes dealing with stealing and theft.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.