Law of Nigeria

Module 4

Courts and the legal professions: the court hierarchy, the Supreme Court, the Federal High Court and State High Courts, the National Industrial Court, barristers and solicitors, prosecutors and the path to practise

Nigeria’s courts are organised in a hierarchy with the Supreme Court at the top, the Court of Appeal beneath it, and trial courts at the federal and state levels: the Federal High Court, the High Court of each state and of the FCT, and the National Industrial Court, together with magistrate, district, area and customary courts below. The Constitution also provides for Sharia Courts of Appeal and Customary Courts of Appeal (Module 3). Judicial power is vested in the courts (section 6), and a National Judicial Council protects their independence. The legal profession is fused: a legal practitioner is both barrister and solicitor, qualified through the Nigerian Law School and enrolled in the Supreme Court roll. For a foreigner the key facts are where a claim is heard, who may act as a lawyer and what a foreign lawyer may do.

General education on the law of Nigeria, using invented people and businesses. It states laws and procedures in simplified form and is not legal advice. The law and its practice change, and every case turns on its facts, the authority and the state concerned. It does not offer legal representation or a legal opinion on any case. Consult a Nigerian legal practitioner for any real matter.

This course was written on 5 November 2026. To the best of our knowledge, it describes the law of Nigeria as it stood on that date. Laws change, and we may have missed or misunderstood something. If you notice a change, or have other information, please do not hesitate to contact us: we will review it and update the course. We do not claim to be the final source of the law.