The Place of Customary International Law in the Nigerian Legal System A Jurisprudential Perspective
Every society has a framework of laws and principles upon which it develops. The international society, thus posits various rules upon which the sovereign states and other subjects of international law may develop in pursuit of the actualization of their interests. A similar situation obtains in Nigeria where her legal system prescribes various laws towards regulating social relations within her jurisdiction. As a sovereign state, Nigeria remains subject to international law with the incidental international responsibility for any breach of same. Though her legal system allows for the enforcement of international treaties in her municipal courts subject to certain qualifications, the law appears to be silent on the status of customary international law. This paper argues that customary international law forms part of the Nigerian legal system and should be applied where appropriate towards the maintenance of peaceful co existence between all interests represented in the Nigerian society.