LEGAL PRINCIPLE: CRIMINAL PROCEDURE – No Case Submission – Prima Facie Case Defined
PRINCIPLE STATEMENT
The expression 'prima facie case' has also received numerous definitions by our courts... It seems to me the simplest definition is that which says that 'there is ground for proceeding.' In other words, that something has been produced to make it worthwhile to continue with the proceeding.
RATIO DECIDENDI (SOURCE)
Per Ogwuegbu, JSC, in Ubanatu v. Commissioner of Police (2000) NLC-691999(SC) at p. 4; Paras D–E.
"The expression 'prima facie case' has also received numerous definitions by our courts... It seems to me the simplest definition is that which says that 'there is ground for proceeding.' In other words, that something has been produced to make it worthwhile to continue with the proceeding."
EXPLANATION / SCOPE
A prima facie case is most simply defined as “ground for proceeding.” The test is whether the prosecution has produced sufficient evidence to make it worthwhile to call upon the accused to answer. This is a practical, functional test—not an overly technical one. It focuses on whether a reasonable tribunal could convict if the evidence stands unchallenged and believed. If the evidence passes this threshold, the trial continues; if not, the accused is entitled to be discharged. The definition emphasizes substance over technicality.