Professor Hakeem Yusuf

About

I have done extensive research on the role of the judiciary in transitional societies which has attracted international recognition. In 2011, I was appointed and served as a Commissioner of Truth and Reconciliation Commission in Osun State (South-West Nigeria). I have consulted for the United States Department of Justice, Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar and the International Commission of Jurists, Geneva among others.

My first book, Transitional Justice, Judicial Accountability and the Rule of Law (Routledge Abingdon 2010) was shortlisted for the inaugural Kevin Boyle Prize (2011) of the Irish Association of Law Teachers (IALT). Two of my articles on the judicial in transitions won international awards in 2008 and 2009. The first one, the Global Jurist Silver Medal Award included a cash prize of €1,000 (one thousand Euros). The second is an invited submission to the International Journal of Law and Management which won the ‘Highly Commended Award’ in the Emerald Literati Network Awards for Excellence 2009.

My second book Colonial and Post-Colonial Constitutionalism in the Commonwealth Peace, Order and Good Government (Routledge Abingdon 2014) was awarded the prestigious John T. Saywell Prize for Canadian Constitutional Legal History 2015 by the Osgoode Society of Canadian Legal History. It was also shortlisted for the 2015 Kevin Boyle Prize of the Irish Association of Law Teachers. I am a Fellow of the Society of Advanced Legal Studies (FSALS).

Research interests

My research interests lie at the intersections of human rights, law and governance focusing on accountability for power. I work in the following areas:

Transitional Justice
Comparative Constitutional Law
Colonial and Post-Colonial Legal Studies
Economic and Social Rights

Membership of professional bodies

Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Nigeria
International Association of Constitutional Law
Birmingham Law Society
Society of Legal Scholars
Irish Association of Law Teachers
Nigeria Bar Association
Transitional Justice Network

Qualifications

LLB (Lagos)
BL (Nigeria)
LLM (Ulster)
PhD (Glasgow)

Recent conferences

The Past does not Pass Away: Burdens of an Unreformed Judiciary in a Post-Authoritarian Context’ 2022 Annual Conference of the International Law Society of Public Law (ICON.S) 6-7 July, University of Wroclaw, Wroclaw, Poland
‘Wither the Power of Disallowance?’ Legal Transfer in the Common Law World/Common Law Seminar Series, Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1 November 2021
‘Disallowing Legislation: Colonial Rule of Law and Continuities of Illiberal Power’ IALS Fellow’s Seminar, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, School of Advanced Studies, University of London, London, 2 December 2021
‘Original sin’ & Transitional Justice: Challenges & Opportunities’ 3^rd Continental Transitional Justice Forum – The State of Transitional Justice in Africa, organised by the Africa Union Commission and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (South Africa), Addis Ababa 24-26 September 2019
Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law Research Workshop on Special Processes for the Reassessment and Removal of Judges in Constitutional Transitions at Bonavero Institute of Human Rights, University of Oxford 10-11 May 2019
‘Colonialism and the Dilemmas of Transitional Justice’, Workshop on Memories of Political Violence, Transitional Justice and Europe across Time and Place: Interdisciplinary Perspectives University of Birmingham 29-30 April 2019
‘Colonial Legacies and Transitional Justice’ 2nd Continental Transitional Justice Forum – The State of Transitional Justice in Africa, organised by the Africa Union Commission and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (South Africa), Khartoum Sudan 16-18 October 2018
Panellist and Presenter: ‘Weight and Context in Formulating Transitional Justice Mechanisms in Africa’ 1^st Continental Transitional Justice Forum – The State of Transitional Justice in Africa, organised by the Africa Union Commission and the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, Johannesburg, South Africa 19-21 October 2017
‘Gibraltar, Commonwealth Constitutionalism and Brexit’, International Symposium on Referenda organised by Gibraltar Garrison Library, 12-14 October 2017
‘Prosecutors: Pivotal Figures in Criminal Justice’, Criminal Justice Reform in Comparative Perspective organised by the Institute of Judicial Administration, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham, 24 & 25 August 2017
‘Transitional Justice Research and Teaching – Gaps and Opportunities’ Round Table on the African Comparative Transitional Justice Study. Organised by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation at Johannesburg, South Africa, 5 May 2017
‘Transitional Justice in Nigeria’ Research Consultation & Reference Meeting, African Transitional Justice Comparative Study, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation Cape Town, South Africa, 7-8 November 2016
‘Transnational Enterprises and Social Justice beyond Borders: The Role of Social Networks and Advocacy’ (with Kamil Omoteso) Research Workshop on Contextualizing Social Justice in International and Transnational Law, University of Windsor, 7 & 8 August, 2016
Post Authoritarian Transitions and Judicial Governance in Africa – Prospects, Challenges and Lessons from the Nigerian Experience’ Workshop on Local, Regional and International Perspectives on Political Settlement and Transition 14-15 July 2016, Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law

International experience

Expert Consultant, United States Department of Justice, Money Laundering Unit (2018-)
Country Expert/Research Consultant - African Transitional Justice Comparative Study, Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, South Africa (http://www.csvr.org.za/) (2016-19)
Member, Pool of International Experts, Security & Rule of Law: Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research, NWO
Visiting Professor, University of Windsor, Canada (2016-)
Expert Adviser and Legal Consultant to Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar on Constitutional Review (2016-)
Member, Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) Peer Reviewer Group: Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) 2016-2020
My work on judicial accountability in countries in transition has informed the development and publication of the Practitioners’ Guide on Judicial Accountability (2016) by the International Commission of Jurists
Invited as an Expert by the International Commission of Jurists, (ICJ, Geneva) to Consultation Meeting on Judicial Accountability in Developing Countries: Holding Judges to Account for Involvement in Human Rights Violations, Corruption and Other Misconduct, 8 & 9 October 2015 (funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland). Outcome: contribution to development of global practitioner’s guide on judicial accountability on judicial accountability published in 2016
Invited as an Expert by the International Commission of Jurists, (ICJ, Geneva) to the 6th Annual Geneva Forum of Judges & Lawyers: ‘Judicial Accountability’, Centre for the Independence of Judges and Lawyers (CIJL), Geneva, December 14-15 December 2015 (https://vimeo.com/149760900)
Legal Consultant: Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, Nigeria (2013)
Commissioner, Osun State Truth and Reconciliation Commission, South West Nigeria (2011)
Ad-Hoc Reviewer: United States National Science Foundation (2014)
Functional Reviewer: Africa Integrity Indicators (2013-2014) (Global Integrity and Mo Ibrahim Foundation)
Visiting Lecturer: University of Indonesia (EC Good Governance and Human Rights Asia Link Programme) (2009-10)

Additional interests and activities

Editorial boards membership

International Journal of Law and Management (2018-)
Beijing Law Review (2010-16)
Nigerian Monthly Law Reports (2009-2011)
Articles Editor: Sage Open

Peer reviewer

I am a peer reviewer for the following publishers/journals/imprints:

Africa Today (Indiana University Press)
African Network of Constitutional Law
Beijing Law Review
Critical Studies on Terrorism (Taylor and Francis)
International Journal of Transitional Justice (OUP)
International Journal of Law and Management (Emerald)
Journal of Asian and African Studies
Journal of Conflict and Security Law (OUP)
Journal of Criminological Research, Policy and Practice (Emerald)
Law, Democracy and Development
Public Law
Routledge African Studies Books
Routledge - Glass House Series
Routledge Transitional Justice Series
Stability: International Journal of Security and Development
The International Journal of Human Rights (Taylor and Francis)
Transitional Justice Review

In the media

Media interviews

Interviewed by Al Jazeerah English Inside Story on the ‘Boko Haram’ insurgency and implications for the rule of law and human rights in Nigeria
Where is the Rule of Law in Nigeria? (3 November 2012, 20 minutes) and on Al-Jazeera prime time news on 3 December 2013 and 15 May 2014. I was interviewed by STV (Scotland) on 8 May 2014 on the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria and have also been interviewed for the Jordan Times

Recent publications

Authored books

Transitional Justice: Theory, Mechanisms and Debates [with Hugo van der Merwe] (1^st Edition, Routledge Abingdon 2021)
Colonial and Post-Colonial Constitutionalism in the Commonwealth: Peace, Order and Good Government (Routledge Abingdon 2016) [Paperback]
Colonial and Post-Colonial Constitutionalism in the Commonwealth: Peace, Order and Good Government (Routledge Abingdon 2014) [Hardback] Awarded the prestigious John T. Saywell Prize for Canadian Constitutional Legal History 2015
Transitional Justice, Judicial Accountability and the Rule of Law (Routledge Abingdon 2013) [Paperback]

Contributions to peer reviewed books and edited collections

‘Human Rights Violations Investigations Panel (Oputa Panel)’ in Lavinia Stan and Nadya Nedelsky (eds.) Encyclopedia of Transitional Justice 3 (2^nd ed. Cambridge University Press New York 2023) Forthcoming
‘Country Studies: Nigeria’ in Lavinia Stan and Nadya Nedelsky (eds.) Encyclopedia of Transitional Justice Vol. 2 (2^nd Cambridge University Press, New York, 2023) Forthcoming
‘Challenges, Limits and Prospects of ‘Judicial Governance’ in Nigeria’s Political Translation (1999-2014) in Katrin Seidel and Hatem Elliesie (eds.) Normative Spaces in Africa (Routledge London & Burlington 2020) 83-106
‘Human Rights Violations Investigations Panel (Oputa Panel)’ in Lavinia Stan and Nadya Nedelsky (eds.) Encyclopedia of Transitional Justice 3 (Cambridge University Press New York 2013) 160-165
‘Country Studies: Nigeria’ in Lavinia Stan and Nadya Nedelsky (eds.) Encyclopedia of Transitional Justice Vol. 2 (Cambridge University Press, New York, 2013) 333-339

Journal special issue

Corporations, Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa: Between Neglect and Inadequate Policy Direction Guest Editor (with I. Adelopo) International Journal of Law and Management (2014) 56 (2)

Articles in peer reviewed journals

Realising Economic and Social Rights Beyond COVID-19: The Imperative of International Cooperation (with P. Oamen) Indiana International and Comparative Law Review (2022) 32 (1) 43-68
Access to Medicine in the Third World: Elevating State Obligation over Corporate Profit (with K. Omoteso) Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies (2022) 29 (1), 131-161
The Persistence of Colonial Constitutionalism in British Overseas Territories (with T. Chowdhury) Global Constitutionalism (2019) 8 (1): 157-190
The U.N. Committee of 24’s Dogmatic Philosophy of Recognition: Toward a Sui Generis Approach to Decolonization (with T. Chowdhury) Indiana Journal of Global Legal Studies (2019) 26 (2)
Colonialism and Dilemmas of Transitional Justice in Nigeria International Journal of Transitional Justice (2018) 12 (2): 257-276
Transitional Justice in the Middle East and North Africa – Taking Account of Islam Muslim World Journal of Human Rights (2017) 14 (1): 145-170
Accountability of Transnational Corporations in the Developing World: The Case for an Enforceable International Mechanism (with K. Omoteso) Critical Perspectives on International Business. (2017) 13 (1) 54-71 [Open Access]
Combating Environmental Irresponsibility of TNCs in Africa: An Empirical Analysis (with K. Omoteso) Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability (2016) 21 (11) 1372-1386 [Open Access]
S.A.S v France: Supporting “Living Together” or Forced Assimilation International Human Rights Law Review (2014) 3 (2) 277-302 (full length article 10,000+ words)
Guest Editorial: Corporations, Human Rights and Corporate Social Responsibility in Africa: Between Neglect and Inadequate Policy Direction (with I. Adelopo) International Journal of Law and Management (2014) 56 (2): 86-87
Harvests of Violence - Neglect of Basic Rights and the Boko Haram Insurgency in Nigeria Critical Studies on Terrorism (2013) 6 (3) 371 – 391
‘High Value’ Migration and Complicity for Underdevelopment and Corruption in the Global South – Receiving from the Attic Third World Quarterly (2012) 33 (3): 441-457
Rule of Law and Politics of Anti-Corruption Reform in a Post-Authoritarian State - The Case of Nigeria King’s Law Journal (2011) 22 (1): 57-83
The Judiciary and Political Change in Africa: Developing Transitional Jurisprudence in Nigeria International Journal of Constitutional Law 7 (4) (2009): 654-682
Democratic Transition, Judicial Accountability and Judicialisation of Politics in Africa: The Nigerian Experience International Journal of Law and Management (formerly Managerial Law) 50 (5) (2008): 236-261
Oil on Troubled Waters-Multinational Corporations and Realising Human Rights in the Developing World with Particular Reference to Nigeria African Human Rights Law Journal 8 (1) (2008): 79-107
Robes on Tight Ropes: The Judicialisation of Politics in Nigeria Global Jurist 8 (2) (2008): 1-31
Calling the Judiciary to Account for the Past: Transitional Justice and Judicial Accountability in Nigeria Law and Policy 30 (2) (2008): 194-226
The Judiciary and Constitutionalism in Transitions: A Critique Global Jurist 7 (3) (2007): 1-47
Travails of Truth: Achieving Justice for Victims of Impunity in Nigeria International Journal of Transitional Justice 1(2) (2007): 268-286
What Hope, Human Rights? Northern Ireland Human Rights Review 2 (2006): 9

Consultancy/Commissioned Research Reports

Confidential Expert Report (2020) (7,200+ words) for the United States Department of Justice
Confidential Expert Report (2018) (8,550+ words) for the United States Department of Justice
The Case for Constitutional Reform in Gibraltar (2018) (35,000 words) for Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar
The Colonial Legacy and Transitional Justice in Nigeria (2017) (8,500 words) for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), South Africa. www.csvr.org.za/pdf/Nigerian-Report-Electronic.pdf
African Transitional Justice Research Project: Case Study on Transitional Justice in Nigeria (2017) (25,000+ words) for the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR), South Africa
Expert Report on Political Corruption and Judicial Process in Nigeria (2017) In Re: The Government of the Republic of Nigeria (Requesting State) -v- Stephen Ojo (Extradition Proceedings, Westminster Magistrate Court) (6,400+ words)

Book Reviews

(Review) International Actors and Traditional Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa: Policies and Interventions in Transitional Justice and Justice Sector Aid Eva Brems, Giselle Coradi and Martien Schotsmans (eds) 18 (2) Human Rights Review (2017): 231-232
(Review) Islamic Law and International Human Rights Law: Searching for Common Ground? M. Emon, M Ellis and B Glahn. New York: Oxford University Press (2012) 54 (5) Howard Journal of Criminal Justice (2015): 532-533
(Review) Britain’s Hidden Role in the Rwandan Genocide: The Cat’s Paw 26 (2) Criminal Law Forum Hazel Cameron (2015): 331-335
(Review) Regional Protection of Human Rights 2^nd 54 (1) Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Dinah L. Shelton and Paolo G. Carozza (2015): 100-101
(Review) Balancing Liberty and Security: Human Rights, Human Wrongs 53 (3) Howard Journal of Criminal Justice Kate Moss (2014): 315-316
(Review) International and Comparative Criminal Justice: A Critical Introduction (2014) Dialogues on Historical Justice and Memory Mark Findlay, Louise Boon Kuo and Lim Si Wei
(Review) Judges, Transition and Human Rights 18 (3) Social and Legal Studies John Morison, Kieran McEvoy and Gordon Anthony (2009): 420-422
(Review) Transitional Amnesty in South Africa Antje du Bois- Pedain (2009) 42 (2) Verfassung und Recht in Ubersee 295-298

Other Publications

‘#ENDSARS Protest in Nigeria: Police Brutality and Beyond’ Nov 2020
‘800 Years of the Magna Carta, Powers of the State and Human Rights: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (I)’ CityLife News (Glasgow) October 2015
‘800 Years of the Magna Carta, Powers of the State and Human Rights: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (II)’ CityLife (Glasgow) August 2015
‘800 Years of the Magna Carta, Powers of the State and Human Rights: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (III)’ CityLife (Glasgow) July 2015
‘Minority Rights: Like France, Like China? (Part II)’ CityLife (Glasgow) May 2015
‘Minority Rights: Like France, Like China? (Part II)’ CityLife News (Glasgow) April 2015

Men hold aloft a banner at the ENDSARS protest in Nigeria

#ENDSARS protest in Nigeria: Police brutality and beyond

Hakeem O. Yusuf, Professor of Law and Global Studies at the University of Derby, examines how the #EndSARS protests can help end the colonial legacy of policing in Nigeria.

Posted: 13 November 2020

By: Professor Hakeem Yusuf