Law of Nigeria

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.
^ ^a ^b Mwalimu, Charles (2005). The Nigerian Legal System: Public law, Volume 1. New York: Peter Lang. p. 386. ISBN 9780820471259. Retrieved 31 January 2021.