Legal Expert Seeks Better Records Keeping By Customary Courts

The country Director of Hague Institute for innovative Law Ijeoma Nwafor says the customary court should be the custodian of records from issues resolved by traditional rulers.

She said this statement at the launch of 2024 Justice needs and satisfactory survey report in Abuja.

The JNS report survey started in 2022. where data was collected and the issues reported in 2023.

These issues vary from land dispute, domestic violence and neighborhood disputes.

The primary target are citizens in the rural areas.

Identifying the legal challenges and how they are resolved.

In 2023 same survey was conducted using same people who had earlier been interviewed in 2022 to see if the legal issues they had then have been resolved.

The 2023 Justice Needs and Satisfaction revealed that 81% of Nigerians had encountered at least one legal challenge in the past year.

The JNS report pointed out that most Nigerians resolve their legal issues outside the formal justice sector, contributing to the country’s significant justice gap.

HiiL’s findings emphasize the critical need for a comprehensive framework that incorporates traditional institutions to ensure more effective and accessible justice for all Nigerians.