Nigeria
2026
- GOVERNMENT
- federal presidential republic
- CONSTITUTION
- a new constitution was adopted in 1999
- LEGAL SYSTEM
- based on English common law, Islamic law (in 12 northern states), and tribal norms
- LEGISLATIVE SYSTEM
- bicameral, Senate and House of Representatives
- JUDICIAL SYSTEM
- Supreme Court (judges appointed by the Provisional Government Council); Federal Court of Appeal (judges appointed by the federal government on the recommendation of the Advisory Judicial Committee)
RELIGIONS
50% Muslims, 40% Christians, 10% local beliefs
From the country
- APRIL 17, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The European Parliament urged the Nigerian Federal...
The European Parliament urged the Nigerian Federal Government to ensure that law courts act in accordance with international law on human rights and the declaration of rights included in Nigeria's Constitution
- APRIL 13, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Radical Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky,...
Radical Islamic scholar, Sheikh Ibraheem El-Zakzaky, accused governors of states in the North that have adopted the Islamic legal code, Sharia, of using it selfishly
- APRIL 10, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Amnesty International called on the governor of Anambra...
Amnesty International called on the governor of Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria, to end human rights abuses committed by its "crime busting" unit, the so-called Bakassi Boys
- APRIL 4, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Amina Lawal, a 30-year-old Nigerian woman condemned...
Amina Lawal, a 30-year-old Nigerian woman condemned to die by stoning for adultery, has filed an appeal against her sentence
- MARCH 30, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The Nigerian Army said that it has no place for trade...
The Nigerian Army said that it has no place for trade unionism and that it is impossible for its soldiers to go on strike since such an action would be viewed as a mutiny, which carries the death penalty
- MARCH 29, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Police in Nigeria's Enugu state arrested the Divisional...
Police in Nigeria's Enugu state arrested the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Nsukka and seven of his men over the alleged murder of Nnaemeka Ugwoke and Izuchukwu Ayogu, both former students of Nsukka high school
- MARCH 29, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo lauded the verdict...
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo lauded the verdict of the Sharia Appeal Court in Sokoto which overturned the death sentence passed on Safiya Tungar-Tudu by a lower sharia court in October 2001for committing adultery
- MARCH 28, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The European Union (EU) welcomed the acquittal of Safiya...
The European Union (EU) welcomed the acquittal of Safiya Hussaini by the Sokoto Sharia Court of Appeal
- MARCH 28, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The European Union (EU) welcomed the acquittal of Safiya...
The European Union (EU) welcomed the acquittal of Safiya Hussaini by the Sokoto Sharia Court of Appeal
- MARCH 26, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
In Nigeria, the acquittal of Safiya Hussaini, the woman...
In Nigeria, the acquittal of Safiya Hussaini, the woman who had been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery, was welcomed with a tremendous joy except among the supporters of strict enforcement of shari'ah, the Islamic law
- MARCH 26, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
International Human Rights Watch urged Nigerian government...
International Human Rights Watch urged Nigerian government authorities to ensure that courts refrain from sentencing people to cruel, inhuman and degrading punishments that are prohibited by international law
- MARCH 25, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A Nigerian Sharia court freed a mother of five who...
A Nigerian Sharia court freed a mother of five who had been sentenced to death by stoning for adultery in a judgement by a lower Muslim court in October 2001 that sparked international outrage