Nigeria's Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission (HRVIC) and Restorative Justice: The Promises, Tensions and Inspirations for Transitional Societies

Abstract

The lack of peace in most post-colonial African nation-states is tied to unresolved political asymmetry among peoples with contending narratives of origins and power relations. The Justice system bequeathed to these states at their flag independence has been unsuitable for evolving a justice continuum that can ameliorate the asymmetry and consequent conflicts. However, Restorative Justice appears to hold promises and inspirations for affected nation-states. Nevertheless, this article contends that a perceived hyper-romanticisation of Restorative Justices promises must be tempered with critical realism about its ambiguities. Nigeria's Restorative Justice experiment, Human Rights Violation Investigation Commission, serves as point of reference.