The Law of Nigeria consists of courts, offences, and various types of laws. Nigeria has its own constitution which was established on 29 May 1999. The Constitution of Nigeria is the supreme law of the country. There are four distinct legal systems in Nigeria, which include English law, Common law, Customary law, and Sharia Law. English law in Nigeria is derived from the colonial Nigeria, while common law is a development from its post-colonial independence.[1]
Customary law is derived from indigenous traditional norms and cultural practices, including the dispute resolution meetings of pre-colonial Yoruba land secret societies and the Èkpè and Okónkò of Igboland and Ibibioland.[2] Sharia Law (also known as Islamic Law) used to be used only in Northern Nigeria, where Islam is the predominant religion. It is also being used in Lagos State, Oyo State, Kwara State, Ogun State, and Osun State by Muslims. The country has a judicial branch, the highest court of which is the Supreme Court of Nigeria.[3]
The Nigerian Criminal Code is currently chapter 77 of Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990; it applies only to the southern, Christian-dominated states since 1963. It derives from the British colonial code introduced by High Commissioner Frederick Lugard, 1st Baron Lugard in 1904, became the Criminal Code of 1916, was included as chapter 42 in the 1958 edition of the Laws of the Federation of Nigeria; until 1959 it only applied to the northern states of Nigeria, but since 1963 it only applies to the southern states of Nigeria.[4]
The Nigerian Penal Code, also known as the Penal Code of Northern Nigeria, is currently chapter 89 of the Laws of Northern Nigeria 1963; it applies only to the northern, Muslim-dominated states since 1960. It was originally introduced on 30 September 1960, derived from the Sudanese Penal Code, which in turn was derived from the Indian Penal Code.[4]
^Siliquini-Cinelli, Luca; Hutchison, Andrew (2017-04-06). The Constitutional Dimension of Contract Law: A Comparative Perspective. Springer. ISBN 978-3-319-49843-0.
^ProjectSolutionz (2021-06-22). "LAW AND THE POLITICAL STRUCTURE IN NIGERIA". ProjectSolutionz. Retrieved 2022-07-08.
^"Africa :: Nigeria". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency (United States). 14 November 2022.
^ abMwalimu, Charles (2005). The Nigerian Legal System: Public law, Volume 1. New York: Peter Lang. p. 386. ISBN 9780820471259. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
for and possesses powers for legislating laws. Together, the two chambers make up the law-making body in Nigeria, called the national assembly, which serves...
The NigerianLaw School is an educational institution set up by the Government ofNigeria in 1962 to provide a Nigerian legal education to foreign-trained...
The Constitution ofNigeria is the written supreme lawof the Federal Republic ofNigeria. Nigeria has had many constitutions. Its current form was enacted...
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The Nigeria Police Force is the principal law enforcement and the lead security agency in Nigeria. Designated by the 1999 constitution as the national...
On August 28, 2013 a court in Nigeria on the request of the U.S. Embassy ordered the extradition to the US one Lawal Olaniyi Babafemi's on a federal...
consented to application of the Shari'a courts. In southern Nigeria and under the secular criminal lawsof northern Nigeria, the maximum punishment for...
Nigerian nationality law is regulated by the Constitution ofNigeria, as amended, and various international agreements to which the country is a signatory...
Nigerian labour law looks into the rights, working conditions, minimum wage, termination clauses, and many other rules set by the government of Nigeria...
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic ofNigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea...
The Supreme Court ofNigeria (SCN) is the highest court in Nigeria, and is located in the Central District, Abuja, in what is known as the Three Arms Zone...
The president of the Federal Republic ofNigeria is the head of state and head of government of the Federal Republic ofNigeria. The president directs...
Under civil law, Nigeria does not recognize polygamous unions. However, 12 out of the 36 Nigerian states recognize polygamous marriages as being equivalent...
programs and 211 postgraduate programmes. A law to establish a university in the Eastern Region ofNigeria was passed on 18 May 1955. Advise was sought...
southern region. Most of Northern Nigeria is governed under Sharia law, while the rest of the country is governed under secular law. Merchants from North...
The Nigerian Criminal Code is the apex codified law in Nigeria for criminal investigation, trial and punishment of criminals. It is derived from the Nigeria...
penalty in Nigeria. The death penalty is authorized by Section 33 of the Constitution ofNigeria. Capital crimes are defined under several laws, namely The...
The Justices of the Supreme Court ofNigeria are members of the Supreme Court ofNigeria composed of the Chief Justice ofNigeria and other justices not...
Nigeria is a federation of 36 states. Each of the 36 states is a semi-autonomous political unit that shares powers with the federal government as enumerated...
qualify for the post of a Chief Judge or judges of the Federal High Court, such a person must have been qualified to practice law in Nigeria, and must have...
expands the human rights bestowed to citizens in Nigeria's 1999 constitution to children. Although this law was passed at the Federal level, it is only effective...
Constitution of the Federal Republic ofNigeria and the law, and always in the interest of the sovereignty, integrity, solidarity, well-being and prosperity of the...
The Central Bank ofNigeria (CBN) is the central bank and apex monetary authority ofNigeria established by the CBN Act of 1958 and commenced operations...
The Nigerian Body of Benchers is a professional body concerned with the admission of successful candidates at the NigerianLaw School Bar Final Examination...
Senior Advocate ofNigeria (SAN) is a title that may be conferred on legal practitioners in Nigeriaof not less than ten years' standing and who have distinguished...
Nigerian passports are issued to Nigerian citizens to travel outside ofNigeria. Nigeria now offers only electronic passports for new passport applications...
(2012), Islamic Law, Religious Freedom and Human Rights in Nigeria, African Journal ofLaw and Criminology, Volume 2 Number 1, pp. 1–25 "Nigeria: Recent reports...
Federal Republic ofNigeria operates two court systems. Both systems can punish blasphemy (an insult that shows contempt, disrespect or lack of reverence concerning...
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