10-16
African Legal Culture in Modern Era: The EtutekpeOkpo Experience, North Central Nigeria
Authors: A. N. Oyewole, Joel Abah, Abraham Templeman
Number of views: 507
African legal culture exists in every African society to instil order, via the spirit of brotherhood and oneness. Despite the foreign invasion of Africa, the strength of this cultural system remains commendable. This paper examines how the African legal culture works presently with regards to the Etutekpe-Okpo of North Central Nigeria between 1990-2015. Using a mix-methods approach, findings reveal six different segments in the Etutekpe-Okpo legal culture; political (kings and chiefs), ancestors and deities, African Traditional Religion (priest and priestess), family system (the most elderly), social (women and age grade associations), and indigenous court institutions (wise elders). It is also noteworthy that masculinity and the role of community elders are revered with few subscribing to the African Traditional Religion, due to the influx of foreign religions. This paper has implications for future research, education and development of African culture.