Nigeria
Courts in Nigeria
A single integrated hierarchy topped by the federal Supreme Court, with state high courts and Sharia and customary courts of appeal below — and diffuse constitutional review.
Facts on this page were checked against their sources on .
The superior courts of record (section 6(5)) are, at the federal level, the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court and the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory; and, at the state level, the State High Courts, the Sharia Courts of Appeal and the Customary Courts of Appeal. At the apex is the Supreme Court of Nigeria (section 230), whose determinations are final: "no appeal shall lie to any other body or person from any determination of the Supreme Court" (section 235). The Court of Appeal (section 237) hears appeals from the high courts and the state courts of appeal.
The same idea, explained generally
- What do courts do?
Courts resolve disputes, test the state’s case against individuals, interpret law, and review public decisions. This guide explains those functions and why judicial independence is structural.
- What is due process?
Due process is the requirement that the state follow fair, established procedures before it takes action against a person. This guide explains what it typically includes and how it differs between systems.
Sources
Sources
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended)
National Human Rights Commission of Nigeria (official text host) · Legislation · 1999 · link verified 2026-07-27
The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended, the copy carrying amendments through 2011), downloaded as the full official PDF (775,326 bytes, 137 pages) and confirmed verbatim in two independent passes. Supports: s 4 and the Second Schedule (the division of legislative power — the Exclusive Legislative List for the Federation, the Concurrent List for both, and residual matters for the States under s 4(7)); Exclusive List item 45 and s 214(1) ("There shall be a police force for Nigeria … no other police force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof" — a single national police); Exclusive List item 48 ("Prisons" — federal corrections); s 6(5) (the superior courts of record — the federal Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, Federal High Court and FCT High Court, and the State High Courts, Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal); s 230/233/235 (the Supreme Court as apex, its decisions final); s 237 (the Court of Appeal); s 275/280 (State Sharia and Customary Courts of Appeal, headed by a Grand Kadi); s 150/174 (the Attorney-General of the Federation, a Minister and Chief Law Officer, with power to institute, take over or discontinue federal prosecutions) and s 195/211 (each State Attorney-General with the mirror power for state offences); s 215 (the Inspector-General commanding the Nigeria Police Force, with the President's lawful-directions power); s 153 and the Third Schedule (the National Judicial Council, the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Council); and s 81(3)/292 (judicial funding through the NJC and security of tenure). Establishes that Nigeria is a federation in which police and prisons are federal, while courts, prosecution and (residually) criminal law operate at both the federal and state levels.