The origin of legal regulation of chieftaincy disputes in Yorubaland, 1930 —1945

Abstract

Chieftaincy dispute was one of the major challenges faced by the Colonial administration in Nigeria. This subject has attracted much attention from scholars, but the aspect of legal regulation of chieftaincy matters and disputes have been neglected. This study, therefore, examines the reasons and the context within which it became necessary to promulgate laws and ordinances that were used to regulate chieftaincy appointment, selection, deposition and resolution of disputes. It further examines the causes of persistent chieftaincy disputes, assesses the extent to which the various ordinances, laws and the courts were able to resolve the problem of contestations with a view to determining it achievement. The study has established that law is a veritable instrument of administration, in both colonial and post colonial period. Colonial law, to a great extent, provided the desired social order that the colonial administration required for the exploitation of the economy.