Abolition of Customary Courts—the Nigerian Experiment

E. I. Nwogugu

doi:10.1017/S0021855300006689

Abolition of Customary Courts—the Nigerian Experiment

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 July 2009

E. I. Nwogugu

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Before the establishment of British judicial institutions in Nigeria, disputes were settled through the machinery of indigenous traditional tribunals. The character of these varied from one area of the country to another. In the Eastern part of the country, the machinery of justice was rudimentary and in no sense institutionalised. The strong tradition of chieftaincy which existed in the North and West enabled these areas to possess fairly well organised traditional tribunals. From 1898 the government of the Niger Coast Protectorate, in agreement with the local communities, began to create systematised native courts. These courts were purely administrative creations which were neither established nor controlled by statute. In 1900, the Grown took over from the Niger Company and by the Native Courts Proclamation established native courts on a statutory basis in the Protectorate of Southern Nigeria. The system of native courts created by this enactment was modified in subsequent years. In 1948 the Brooke Commission of Enquiry was appointed for the Northern, the Eastern, the Western Provinces and for the Colony to review the operation and jurisdiction of the native courts in the various parts of Nigeria. With the introduction of the federal system of government in Nigeria in 1954, the native courts became a residuary matter on which Regional Legislatures alone could legislate. In the subsequent statutes on this matter, the Eastern and Western Regions adopted the new title “customary court” while the Northern Region retained the old title of native court.

Type: Research Article
Information: Journal of African Law , Volume 20 , Issue 1 , Spring 1976 , pp. 1 - 19

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0021855300006689 [Opens in a new window]
Copyright: Copyright © School of Oriental and African Studies 1976

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² Nwabueze, B. O., The Machinery of Justice in Nigeria, London, 1963, 45–46.Google Scholar

³ E. A. Keay and S. S. Richardson, The Native and Customary Courts of Nigeria, London, Lagos, 1966.

⁴ No. 9 of 1900.

⁵ Nwabueze, op. cit. 68–80; Keay and Richardson, op. cit. 13–44.

⁶ Keay and Richardson, op. cit. 46–53.

⁷ See A. O. Obilade, “Reform of customary courts system in Nigeria under the military government”, [1969] J.A.L. 28; “Jurisdiction in customary court matters in Nigeria: a critical examination”, [1973] J.A.L. 227. See also Judicial Reform in Northern Nigeria, 1967, published by the Ministry of Information (Northern States).

⁸ No. 25 of 1966.

⁹ S. 2.

¹⁰ S. 3.

¹¹ S. 5.

^{page 2 note 1} No. 29 of 1966.

^{page 2 note 2} Ss. 3 and 7.

^{page 2 note 3} S. 43.

^{page 2 note 4} See the Customary Courts Edict, 1966.

^{page 2 note 5} See the Area Courts Edicts, 1967, for North Central State, Kano State, North Eastern State, North Western State, Benue Plateau State, Kwara State. See also Judicial Reforms in Northern Nigeria, 1967, published by the Ministry of Information (Northern States).

^{page 2 note 6} States (Creation and Transitional Provisions) Decree, 1967.

^{page 2 note 7} States (Creation and Transitional Provisions) Decree, 1976.

^{page 3 note 1} Approved Recurrent Estimates of East Central State of Nigeria, 1971–1972, Official Document No. 4 of 1971, p. E 176.

^{page 3 note 4} Official Document No. 7 of 1971: see Appendix, p. 15, below.

^{page 3 note 3} No. 23 of 1971.

^{page 3 note 4} No. 22 of 1971.

^{page 5 note 1} Uwakwe v. Maduka, Suit No. HOW/3A/72 High Court, Owerri, July 14th, 1972; Bucknor v. Ogunsesan [1960] W.N.L.R. 113; Izenkwe v. Nnadozie (1953) 14 W.A.C.A. 361; Matonmi v. Igiyemi (1953) 14 W.A.C.A. 390, Oluwo v. Adebowale (1959) 4 F.S.C. 143; Eboh v. Akpotu [1968] N.M.L.R. 278.

^{page 5 note 2} Suit No. HOW/3A/72, High Court, Owerri, July 14th, 1972, unreported.

^{page 5 note 3} Cap. 61, Laws of Eastern Nigeria, 1963 Revision.

^{page 5 note 4} S. 11 of the Law was also amended by deleting reference to s. 14 therein.

^{page 5 note 5} Official Document No. 7 of 1971, see Appendix.

^{page 6 note 1} See para. 11.

^{page 6 note 2} Customary Courts Edict, No. 30 of 1966. S. 6 (1).

^{page 6 note 3} D. N. Smith, “Man and law in urban Africa: a role for customary courts in the urbanization process” (1972) 20 American Journal of Comparative Law, 223, 237.

^{page 6 note 4} See Appendix, para. 6.

^{page 7 note 1} See for instance, R. O. Ekundare, Marriage and Divorce under Yoruba Customary Law, University of Ife Press, 1969, 45–46.

^{page 7 note 2} Para. 11.

^{page 8 note 1} Para. 11.

^{page 8 note 2} Customary Courts Law, 1957, cap. 32, Laws of Eastern Nigeria, 1963 Revision.

^{page 8 note 3} Magisterial Districts of Eastern Nigeria, Order, 1967, Eastern Nigeria Notice No. 337 of 1967.

^{page 8 note 4} Appointment of Places of Sessions Order, 1967, Eastern Nigeria Notice No. 336 of 1967.

^{page 8 note 5} Magisterial Districts of the East Central State of Nigeria Directions, 1973, E.C.S. L.N. No. 14 of 1973.

^{page 8 note 6} Appointment of Places of Sessions Order, 1972, E.C.S. L.N. No. 24 of 1972; Places of Sessions (Magistrates) (Amendment) Order, 1972, E.C.S. L.N. No. 47 of 1972.

^{page 10 note 1} Appendix, para. 12.

^{page 10 note 2} See G. Ezejiofor, “Stare Decisis in the Nigerian Courts”, (1972) 47 Nigerian Law Journal 47, 53–54.

^{page 10 note 3} BAIRAMIAN, F.J., in Owonyin v. Omotosho [1961] 1 All N.L.R. 304, 309; OSBORNE, C.J., in Lewis v. Bankole (1909) 1 N.L.R. 81, 110–101.

^{page 11 note 1} Nwabueze, op. cit., 125–129.

^{page 11 note 2} Record of Proceedings, p. 16.

^{page 11 note 3} GRAHAM PAUL, J., in Egba Native Authority v. Adeyanju (1936) 13 N.L.R. 77, 80; Egba Native Authority v. Gbadamosi (1937) 13 N.L.R. 119.

^{page 12 note 1} Record of Proceedings, pp. 14–15.

^{page 12 note 2} Integrating the Administration of General Law and Customary Law, Official Document No. 7 of 1971, P. 3.

^{page 12 note 3} See the East Central State Budget Speech—Approved Recurrent Estimates of East Central State of Nigeria 1971–72, Official Document No. 4 of 1971, p. E. 176.

^{page 12 note 4} Para. 10.

^{page 13 note 1} Nwabueze, op. cit., 128–129.

^{page 13 note 2} See, for example, Cotran, E., Restatement of African Law: Kenya, Vol. IGoogle Scholar: The Law of Marriage and Divorce; Vol. II: The Law of Succession, London, 1968, 1969Google Scholar; J. O. Ibik, Restatement of African Law: Malawi, Vol. I: The Law of Marraige and Divorce; Vol. II: The Law of Land, Succession, Movable Property, Agreements and Civil Wrongs, London, 1971Google Scholar; Roberts, S., Restatement of African Law: Botswana, Vol. IGoogle Scholar: Tswana Family Law, London, 1972.Google Scholar

^{page 13 note 3} Para. 10.

^{page 14 note 1} Customary Courts (Abolition) Edict, 1973.

^{page 14 note 2} S. 2 (d).

^{page 14 note 3} S. Kumo, “Northern States and Islamic Law”, New Nigerian, April 24th, 1976, p. 5, April 26th, 1976, p. 8; A. B. Yusuf, “National Stability: Legal Pluralism or Uniformity?”, New Nigerian, June 5th, 1976, pp. 5, 7 (Col. 1).

^{page 15 note 1} Daily Times, Monday, January 12th, 1976, p. 32; New Nigerian, January 12th, 1976, p. 14 (Col. 5).

^{page 15 note 2} East Central State of Nigeria, Official Document No. 7 of 1971.

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