Law and Justice in Post-British Nigeria - Conflicts and Interactions Between Native and Foreign Systems of Social Control in Igbo

Based on data from Nigeria's Igbo, this book examines the roles of the native and the foreign, English-style justice systems in the administration of law and justice in Nigeria. Okereafoezeke looks at the nature of colonially imposed justice in Nigeria and the relationship between informal and formal justice in the country through the use of case studies. He concludes that the imposed English-style justice system is incapable of dealing with Nigeria's social control problems because it does not anticipate and manage the wide range of issues that the native systems do. Thus, the focus of future social control should rightly be on the native system.

Okereafoezeke considers three main aspects of justice in contemporary Igbo: Law Making, Law Application (Case Processing), and Enforcement of Judicial Decisions. For each of these areas, he includes discussion of methods, steps, and procedures followed. Findings demonstrate that Nigeria's native justice systems work exceedingly well, even in the very harsh British-imposed, Nigerian-sustained official climate. The study also offers recommendations for repositioning Nigeria's native justice systems for improved social control.

List of contents

Preface
Introduction to the Research Population
Nature of Native Versus Colonially Imposed Justice in Nigeria: Dimensions of Informal and Formal Justice
Colonial Rule, Justice Issues, and Postcolonial Problems
Informal Versus Formal Justice
Survey of Cases and Application of Themes and Descriptors
Aspects of Justice in Contemporary Traditional Igbo
Law-making Techniques in Contemporary Traditional Igbo and the Growth of Nigeria's Native Justice Systems
Methods and Procedures for the Application of Igbo Traditions, Customs, and Laws
Enforcement of Igbo Judicial Decisions
Future of the Native/Foreign Justice Interface in Nigeria
Interactions Between Nigeria's Native and Foreign Justice
Criminological Theory Implications of Nigeria's Official Policies, Practices, and Idiosyncrasies on the Native Justice Systems
Future Social Control: Synthesizing Native, Foreign, Unofficial, and Official Controls
Conclusion
Appendices
Glossary

About the author

NONSO OKEREAFOEZEKE is an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Western Carolina

Product details

• Authors: Nonso Okereafoezeke, Okereafoezeke Nonso
• Publisher: Bloomsbury
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: ages 7 to 17
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 30.11.2001
• EAN: 9780313313080
• ISBN: 978-0-313-31308-0
• No. of pages: 256
• Weight: 539 g
• Series: Contributions in Comparative Colonial Studies
• Subjects: Social sciences, law, business > Law > Civil law, civil procedural law; Nigeria, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Criminology, SOCIAL SCIENCE / Regional Studies, LAW / Constitutional, Regional Studies, Regional / International studies, Crime and criminology, Crime & criminology, Constitutional & administrative law, Constitutional and administrative law: general, Politics, Law, and Government: Comparative Politics