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Courts of Nigeria

A federal common-law system, with federal and state courts under one Supreme Court, and customary and Sharia courts of appeal in the states that have them.

Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.

Supreme Court of Nigeria

General courts

Court of Appeal
Federal High Court and State High Courts
Magistrates' and district courts

Customary and Sharia courts

Customary Courts of Appeal and Sharia Courts of AppealIn the states that have them
Customary and Area courts
Appeals travel up the arrows. Boxes with a heavier border are the top court of each track.

Worth knowing

  • Customary and Islamic law apply alongside English-style common law, in different courts.

Compare Nigeria with another country →
Read the Nigeria profile in the Legal Families Atlas →

Sources

Other systems

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TheLawToKnow Tools’s court-structure diagrams are simplified on purpose and are not legal advice. Report a mistake.