Annual report on the social and economic progress of the people of Nigeria.

Date:
[1938]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report on the social and economic progress of the people of Nigeria. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Courts consists of a Chief Judge, Judges, Assistant Judges and Magistrates. I he Chief Justice and Puisne Judges are ex-officio Chief Judge and Judges, respectively, of the Protectorate Courts. Probate, Admiralty and Divorce suits, and cases arising under certain Ordinances are reserved for the Supreme Court. Subject to this reservation the Judges and Assistant Judges enjoy full powers, whilst minor powers are vested in the Magistrates. 'The High Court and the Magistrates’ Courts ire, like the Supreme Court, open to legal practitioners. 241. The following is a statement of criminal cases heard in the Courts of the Protectorate during the twelve months from 1st November, 1937 to 31st October, 1938 :— Description Northern Provinces Southern Provinces Total Offences against the person 405 2,413 2,818 „ ,, property . 1,016 2,919 3,935 ,, ,, Currency 47 359 406 ,, ,, Public Order, Law and Morality 837 3,826 4,663 Miscellaneous offences 1,974 7,592 9,566 Total 4,279 17,109 21,388 242. The Native Courts Ordinance, 1933, provides for the constitution of Native Courts. Each Resident may by warrant, and subject to the approval of the Governor, establish Native Courts at convenient places within his Province and the jurisdiction of each Court is defined by the warrant establishing it. The law administered by Native Courts is the local native law and custom but they are further authorised to administer certain Ordinances. All Native Tribunals are subject to control by the Adminis¬ trative staff and, except in a few cases which come solely within the purview of Native tribunals, there are avenues of appeal from the lowest Native Court either to a Final Native Court of Appeal, to the Governor or to the High Court of the Protectorate and in the last case, under certain conditions, to the West African Court of Appeal. 243. The whole of the Protectorate is covered by the jurisdiction of the Native Courts. The powers of these Courts vary according to the development of the place in which they are situated and the intellectual capacitv of their members. There are thus four grades of Court whose powers vary from that of three months imprisonment to full powers including the death sentence, which is, however, subject to confirmation by the Governor. The following table shows the number of civil and criminal cases tried in the Native Courts in the year 1938.