POWER DYNAMICS AND DISCOURSE STRATEGIES IN SELECTED NIGERIAN COURT’S JUDGEMENTS ON MURDER CASES

• Adeyinka Olusola Adeoye, Ph.D.

  Author

• Dubamo TOMERE, PhD.

  Ajayi Crowther University

  Author

• RAJI, Isiaka Adeyemi

  Author

The interplay between discourse and power dynamics within Nigerian court judgements offers a compelling lens through which to examine the administration of justice, especially on murder cases. This study investigates power dynamics and discourse strategies in two selected Nigerian High Court Judgements. Norman Fairclough’s Model to critical discourse analysis (CDA) was applied for the qualitative interpretation of data. The data were gathered through purposive sampling from the Nigeria Weekly Law Report, 2023 edition. The study revealed that the use of discourse strategies such as argumentation, presupposition and lexical choice shapes legal narratives, influences judicial reasoning, and reinforces power dynamics. Furthermore, communication roles within discourse strategies define how legal actors engage in meaning-making, with judges exerting control through authoritative speech, lawyers framing arguments to sway opinions, and defendants navigating discursive constraints. These elements collectively shape legal outcomes and sustain institutional power relations

1. Dubamo TOMERE, PhD., Ajayi Crowther University

   Dr. Adeyinka Adeoye  currently works at  Department of English at Ajayi Crowther University. OYO. He does research in Pragmatics, English Language Applied Linguistics  and Discourse Studies.

2. RAJI, Isiaka Adeyemi

   Dr. Tomere's work primarily focuses on Pragmatics, Discourse Analysis, and Multimodal Communication within the Nigerian context. His publications investigate a wide range of topics, from political discourse and social media to gender studies and professional communication.

      

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