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
- JULY 1, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A 25-year-old married man, Gawata Lababa Turun, accused...
A 25-year-old married man, Gawata Lababa Turun, accused of impregnating his sister-in-law Nasifatu Umaru, 16, escaped being sentenced to death by stoning because of the failure by the prosecution to produce four witnesses against him
- JUNE 27, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Three Nigerians sentenced to death in Malaysia for...
Three Nigerians sentenced to death in Malaysia for dadah trafficking in 1995 are seeking to revise the decision of the Federal Court affirming their penalty
- JUNE 24, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A high court in Jigawa State has sentenced a 25-year-old...
A high court in Jigawa State has sentenced a 25-year-old man to death for raping a 76-year-old woman to death, while a Sharia court in Bauchi has ordered the amputation of the right hand of a man for stealing domestic items estimated at N19,800
- JUNE 3, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Nigeria's Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) appealed...
Nigeria's Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO) appealed to Abia State Governor Orji Kalu to exercise his prerogative of mercy for four Nigerians whose death sentence was recently affirmed by the Supreme Court
- JUNE 3, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A Nigerian woman sentenced to death by stoning for...
A Nigerian woman sentenced to death by stoning for adultery will be free to look after her child until January 2004, whatever the outcome of her appeal, an Islamic court ruled
- MAY 21, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's President, said he does...
Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria's President, said he does not see the adoption of Sharia law by a dozen states in Nigeria as a threat, amid international pressure on him to amend laws calling for execution by stoning for Islamic crimes such as adultery
- MAY 21, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
The Nigerian Supreme court held that "In a murder charge,...
The Nigerian Supreme court held that "In a murder charge, for the prosecution to discharge its burden of proving the case beyond reasonable doubt, it must prove the death of the deceased, the act or omission of the accused which caused the death, and that
- MAY 20, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Two human rights groups called on the Nigerian authorities...
Two human rights groups called on the Nigerian authorities to disband government-backed vigilante groups, including one accused of a reign of terror in the southeast of the country
- MAY 10, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
A Sharia court in northern Nigeria sentenced a 50-year...
A Sharia court in northern Nigeria sentenced a 50-year old man to be stoned to death after he admitted raping a nine-year old girl
- MAY 8, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Two Nigerians who converted to Christianity nearly...
Two Nigerians who converted to Christianity nearly met their maker sooner than they anticipated
- APRIL 25, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Nigeria voted against the resolution 2002/77 on the...
Nigeria voted against the resolution 2002/77 on the death penalty at the 58th UN Commission on Human Rights
- APRIL 25, 2002NigeriaDEATH PENALTY
Nigerian Muslim prosecutors are seeking the death penalty...
Nigerian Muslim prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for two men accused of converting from Islam to Christianity