batch-1793637225 1793637225 Global Insights Law Journal publisher@gilawjournal.com Global Insights Law Journal Global Insights Law Journal 3141-5717 2026 1 3 Douglas, Ken This study evaluates the theoretical foundations, statutory enactments, and enforcement mechanisms governing offences against public morals under the Nigerian criminal justice system, alongside a comparative legal analysis of doctrines in England and Wales, the United States, Canada, India, and France. The research investigates the persistent legal friction between state enforcement of moral norms and the protection of constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights. Using a doctrinal and comparative legal research methodology, the paper examines primary statutory provisions under the Criminal Code Act, Penal Code Act, Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc) Act 2015, Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act 2014, and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended). The investigation reveals that Nigerian criminal law remains heavily reliant on Victorian-era public morality standards, specifically the antiquated Hicklin test of obscenity, which creates significant vagueness, selective prosecution by law enforcement agencies, and severe tensions with fundamental rights to privacy, expression, and personal liberty. Comparatively, legal developments in Canada, India, and France demonstrate a progressive shift from subjective moral outrage toward objective harm testing and constitutional morality. The study recommends comprehensive legislative amendments to replace the Hicklin test with an objective harm framework, the decriminalization of status-based vagrancy and moral offences, and the establishment of clear judicial guidelines to balance public decency against constitutional rights. 2026 10 20 10.67588/0009 https://gilawjournal.com/article/offence-against-public-morals-in-nigeria-a-theoretical-legal-and-comparative-analysis Public Morals; Criminal Code Act; Hicklin Test; Legal Moralism; Fundamental Rights; Comparative Criminal Law