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Dr. Gbenga Oduntan

Biography

Gbenga Oduntan is a distinguished academic and legal expert specializing in International Law, with a focus on territorial disputes, international trade, and aviation law. He is a Professor of Law at the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK, where he combines his extensive research with teaching. Oduntan has authored numerous publications on international boundaries, airspace, and the law of the sea, offering critical insights into the intersection of law and global governance. His work is particularly noted for addressing issues affecting Africa and developing nations, advocating for fairer international legal frameworks. Gbenga Oduntan is also known for his contributions to legal discourse on the regulation of outer space, cyber law and anticorruption. With a rich academic background and a commitment to legal reform, he continues to shape debates on international law, equity, and justice, influencing both academic circles and policy development globally.

Research

1. Air and Space Law

His scholarly work critically examines the legal frameworks governing outer space, addressing issues like sovereignty, spatial delimitation, and the militarization of space. His insights have been influential, including citations in UK parliamentary debates concerning space policy .Kent Blogs+1Google Scholar+1

2. Anti-Corruption and Financial Crime

Led initiatives funded by the MacArthur Foundation, organizing training workshops in Nigeria aimed at tracing illicit financial flows and enhancing whistleblowing mechanisms. These efforts have been pivotal in combating corruption and promoting transparency .Kent Blogs+3ResearchGate+3Kent Blogs+3Kent Blogs+1Kent Blogs+1

3. International Dispute Resolution


Work in international dispute resolution encompasses arbitration and the functioning of international courts and tribunals. Professor Oduntan has provided critical analyses of the accessibility and effectiveness of international adjudication, particularly concerning developing states .Google Scholar+6LinkedIn+6ResearchGate+6

4. Territorial and Boundary Disputes

Professor Oduntan has extensively studied land and maritime boundary disputes, especially within the African context. His book, International Law and Boundary Disputes in Africa, explores the legal principles and historical contexts of territorial conflicts on the continent .LinkedIn+5Routledge+5Kent Blogs+5 5.

Law and Technology

Exploring the intersection of law and technology, Professor Oduntan addresses the legal challenges posed by advancements such as remote sensing and geospatial technologies. His research evaluates how these technologies impact legal norms and state sovereignty

Research projects

PhD

Funder
College of humanities and social science , University of Edinburgh

award

Experts’ Advocacy on Tracking and Recovery of Illicit Funds / Assets in Destination Countries – (UK & UAE)

Date
to
Role
Collaborator and Academic Lead.

It has become clear since the middle of the last century that the phenomenon of bribery, corruption and stolen funds is one of the principal causes of under-development and poverty in the global south. The stolen wealth of Nigeria and other ECOWAS countries has not only found safe haven in banks and financial institutions of the UK and other western countries but has become a major source of the funds for the purchase of properties in London and the United Arab Emirates for instance. Every year, hundreds of billions of pounds of corrupt money is laundered in the UK and invested in property by corrupt individuals. Transparency International in March 2017 reported that over £4.2 billion worth of properties have been bought by politicians and public officials with suspicious wealth and through illicit transactions. The researchers in partnership with MacArthur Foundation (working with Open Society Foundation and the Open Society Initiative for West Africa) in support of the hosting of three local training workshops across the geo-political zones of Nigeria for local anti-corruption and accountability campaigners, journalists, bloggers and officials of Anti-corruption agencies. To also convene two international training work-shops, one each in United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates, to empower citizens and professionals with knowledge and skills relevant for tracing stolen wealth and assets across the country and in foreign countries. The research winds up in 2025 with the publication of a co-authored book based on the findings of the study. Book Oduntan G and Iris Boussiakou, Fixing Nigeria’s Illicit Financial Flows: A Critical Review of UK and UAE policies, laws and Practices in Financial and Professional Institutions. (Cambridge Scholars Publishing) 2025.

The Airspace Tribunal: towards a new human right to live without physical or psychological threat from above

Role
Collaborator

Over the last century, humans have radically transformed airspace: chemically, territorially, militarily and psychologically. Technological developments mean that this transformation is accelerating and growing in complexity. There is widening disparity in the global landscape of power, with civilians increasingly subject to expanding commercial and military exploitation of technology in airspace and outer space and to the consequences of climate change. The associated threats are not adequately addressed by the contemporary legal framework. There is an urgent need for new thinking. One aspect of airspace requiring development is the human rights dimension.’ The Airspace Tribunal considers the case for and against the recognition of a new human right to protect the freedom to live without physical or psychological threat from above. Drawing on wide expertise and experience, it engages the public in discussion and seeks to challenge the narrow terms by which airspace and outer space are represented and defined in law.

British Council Study on Setting up British University Programmes and Campuses in Nigeria.

Date
to
Role
Principal Investigator

A study into the Nigerian tertiary educational system, Quality Assurance, regulatory environment and compatibility with British University system for the purposes of organising foreign campuses in Nigeria as well as joint programmes. PI conducted the study in Nigeria and presented findings to a British Council Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Tracking faulty towers: Strategies and techniques for tracing property purchased from proceeds of bribery and corruption in the UK

Date
to
Role
Principal Investigator

This study culminating in a successful one-day training conference at Kent Law School in July 2017, offered an introduction into strategies and techniques for tracing ownership of companies and properties bought from the proceeds of bribery and corruption in the UK. Dr Oduntan says the workshops, to be held in Abuja and Lagos, are timely: ‘Nigeria expects hundreds of millions of pounds of its monies invested in properties and laundered through financial institutions in the UK by Nigerian officials to be returned to the country.’ https://blogs.kent.ac.uk/law-news/tracking-faulty-towers-strategies-and-techniques-for-tracing-property-purchased-from-proceeds-of-bribery-and-corruption-in-the-uk/

• PI: Awarded $50,000 to run anti-corruption training in Nigeria by MacArthur Foundation for a project to run two training workshops in Nigeria on tracing funds transferred as a result of corrupt practices 2016.

Date
to
Role
PI and convenor

The workshops offered practical strategies on identifying suspect companies and properties as well as whistle blowing techniques. Attendees in both leading Nigerian cities consisted of a broad range of Nigerian government officials, leading journalists, human rights activists, anti-corruption researchers, lawyers, academics, students, NGOs, and the Nigerian Police. The sessions and papers were led by international academics from Europe and Nigeria, and the workshops addressed aspects of Nigerian, UK, US and international law on how to research companies and property ownership; using public sources of information; finding shell companies and their investments; and tracing invested funds of former military dictators, former governors and current Politically Exposed Persons.

Euro 150,000 study: EU-ACP FISH II Coordination Unit, “Review and Update of the Fisheries Act Nigeria: Review and Update of the Sea Fisheries ActReport submitted to the Federal Department of Fisheries and the ACP Fish II Coordinating Unit.

Date
to
Role
Co- Investigator

A study into the extant Nigerian laws governing its maritime territories and inland waterways as well as the security, economic and sociolegal challenges. Prescriptive strategies were prescribed to prevent Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing in Nigerian waters and its EEZ.

Euros 85000 Study: EU Electronic Logbooks In The Fishcam Project Within The of EU

Date
to
Role
Research assistant

Comparative study into the readiness of European Union member state laws on law of evidence to accept electronic evidence in readiness for the international scientific study involving 5 universities including the University of Kent and Canterbury Christchurch university for development of electronic logbooks to be carried on all fishing vessels in EU waters.

Research collaborator

  • Dr. Iris Boussiakou (Canterbury Christchurch University Canterbury, Kent)
  • Lanre Suraju (Human and Environmental Development Agenda)
  • Professor Shona Illingworth (University of Kent)

Teaching

International Trade and Investment Law.

International Commercial Dispute Resolution.

Regulatory Theory and Practice.

International Commerce and E-Contracts 

 Public International Law

Space Law

Modules

  • International Commercial Contracts and E-Commerce - LAW7031
  • International Trade and Investment Law - LAW7067
  • International Commercial Dispute Resolution - LAW7055-B
  • Regulatory Theory and Practice - law7048
  • Regulatory Theory and Practice - LAW7035-B
  • International Trade and Investment Law - LAW7045
  • International Commercial Dispute Resolution - LAW7047-B

Professional activities

Education (5)

  • Nigerian Law School - BL (hons)
  • University of Kent at Canterbury - Ph.D. Law.
  • University of Jos - BA (hons)
  • Lagos State University - LLB Law
  • University of Jos - MA Law and Diplomacy

Journal reviews (2)

  • Oil Gas and Energy Law - GUEST_EDITOR (11 November 2024)
  • Sriwijaya Crimen and Legal Studies - EDITOR

Other activities (2)

  • Convenor Air and Space Research Network: As convenor I run the administrative parts of the network and the JISCMail address of the network. ASRENET@JISCMAIL.AC.UK (9 September 2017)
  • Coordinating Attorney, World Anti-Corruption research Network: This is an international research group dealing with anti-corruption and transparency law and practice. https://research.kent.ac.uk/world-anticorruption-research-network/ (11 May 2010)

Professional associations (1)

  • Nigerian Bar Association, Solicitor and Barrister

Publications

Book (5)

Book chapter (1)

Chapter in book (4)

Conference contribution (1)

  • Arbitration versus Litigation: Negotiating the crossroads in oil and gas transboundary exploration and production disputes

    Gbenga Oduntan (2007) International Boundary Disputes E&P in 2007 Conference Kuala Lumpor Malaysia 26-29 March 2007.

Non-peer reviewed journal (3)

Other publication (14)

Peer reviewed journal (25)

Seminar (2)

  • Border disputes in Africa Overview, approaches and mechanisms for preventing and resolving border disputes mechanisms,

    Gbenga Oduntan (2023)

  • Legal Frameworks and Instruments in the Management of Boundaries and Border Disputes

    Gbenga Oduntan (2023)