Olusola Oni

The Law as practised by the Ancient Yoruba Olusola Oni

This book is about the law as practised by the ancient Yoruba. Customary law, an integral part of the legal system of Nigeria, is an unwritten system of law based entirely on oral accounts for which there is no supporting evidence. There is suspicion that a lot of customary law was concocted by the oral chroniclers. Indeed, the customary case law is replete with attempts by judges to reconcile some of these oral accounts. This book provides the supporting evidence for the Yoruba system of law as practised in ancient times. Although the Yoruba of yore did not write, they did the next best thing which was to embed their law in their language. The embedded word is as accurate as the written word. This book is unique in that it uses the meaning of Yoruba words to identify elements of the ancient Yoruba law - administrative, civil and criminal, and it does so with some precision. Where applicable, the evidence is cross-referenced for authenticity with the modern case law and with other research publications. This book is a useful source material for the interested, for law students and practitioners, and for legal writers and researchers.