Pre-colonial legal system in Africa: an assessment of indigenous laws of Benin kingdom before 1897
Journal article
Ojo, Idahosa Osagie and Ekhator, Eghosa 2020. Pre-colonial legal system in Africa: an assessment of indigenous laws of Benin kingdom before 1897. Umewaen: Journal of Benin and Edo Studies.
| Authors | Ojo, Idahosa Osagie and Ekhator, Eghosa |
|---|---|
| Abstract | There were salient novelties in the legal system of the Benin Kingdom and other areas in pre-colonial Africa that promoted justice, peace, and order among people and communities. Special provisions such as collective responsibility in legal personality, the law of primogeniture, the fusion of laws and religion in theory and practice, and the recognition of societal status and political position in legal proceedings amongst other legal concepts were incorporated into the body of laws in Benin. Previous intellectual efforts center on the political, economic, and social aspects of history, largely neglecting these legal dynamics and other vital areas of the kingdom's organization. Hence, this study analyzes indigenous legal concepts in the Benin Kingdom using several varieties of primary and secondary sources. It contends that Benin, like other African societies, developed practical and useful legal concepts that helped in the consolidation of peace and harmony throughout its length and breadth, and that these indigenous Benin legal concepts were in force till 1897. |
| Keywords | International Law; History; Legal History; Indigenous Laws |
| Year | 2020 |
| Journal | Umewaen: Journal of Benin and Edo Studies |
| ISSN | 2473-3415 |
| Web address (URL) | http://www.beninedostudies.org |
| hdl:10545/625873 | |
| Output status | Published |
| Publication dates | 2020 |
| Publication process dates | |
| Deposited | 13 Jul 2021, 10:11 |
| Accepted | 2020 |
| Contributors | Benson Idahosa University Nigeria and University of Derby |
| File | File Access Level Open |
| File | File Access Level Restricted |
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