EXPLORING THE USE OF FORENSIC SCIENCE IN CRIMINAL CASES.

A pioneer in the science of forensics; Edmond Locard, said that wherever a suspect steps, wherever he touches, whatever he leaves, even without consciousness, will serve as a silent witness against him. He went further to say that this evidence does not forget, cannot be wrong, it cannot perjure itself, only human failure to find it, study and understand it can diminish its value. The current alarming rate of crime and its attendant increase in sophistication, has called for the use of forensic evidence in solving criminal cases. It is a technique designed to either identify the perpetrator or to connect them to the crime with certainty. The development of state-of-the-art technology to perform feats such as DNA testing has made forensic evidence through forensic science increasingly reliable. The purpose of this research work is to explore the use of forensic evidence in handling criminal cases. To establish this fact, case laws are analyzed in this research project. This project is also aimed at assessing the application and impact of forensic science in the Nigerian criminal justice system by making reference to certain components of forensics that are relevant to the criminal justice system. Such components include Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) analysis, Fingerprint analysis, Polygraph test, Ballistics, Forensic anthropology, Forensic pathology and Computer forensics. The justification for this research arose out of the alarming rate crimes are constantly committed and the apparent difficulty faced by agencies of the criminal justice system while trying to curb the occurrence of such crimes. The sources of information relied upon here are relevant books, articles in journal publications, internet materials, statutes and judicial authorities. In the course of this research, it was found that establishing certain types of evidence such as fingerprint impressions and DNA, against accused persons was seriously hindered due to the absence of forensic labs and this hinder the conviction of such persons. In view of this, this research recommended inter alia, for proper training of lawyers and enforcement agencies in terms of how crimes and crime scenes are handled and also the establishment of sophisticated forensic labs where evidence and accused persons can be taken to in order to determine guilt or innocence in order to ease the establishment of evidence before the law courts in Nigeria.