SOKOTO STATE LEGAL SYSTEM AND PROFILE

Sokoto State, with the ancient city of Sokoto as Capital, was created on 3 February, 1976 by the military dictatorship of General Murtala Mohammed out of the defunct North-Western State.

Sokoto State is situated at the extreme north-western part of Nigeria between latitudes 12^oN and 13^o58^’N and longitudes 4^o8^’E and 6^o54^’E. Its total land area of 25,973km²  is bounded by Zamfara State to the east, Kebbi State to the southwest and two international borders with Niger Republic and Benin Republic to the north and southwest respectively.

The population of Sokoto State according to the National Population Commission of Nigeria is 2,986,582- Male: 1,863,713; Female: 1,838,963. Over 85 percent of the State’s population is engaged in agriculture. The main crops are millet, guinea corn, sugar cane, beans and cereals sustaining revenue generating capacity of over the State is second only to Borno in livestock production N400, 000 per month. Sokoto State also has an estimated livestock population of 1.18 million cattle, nearly 2.90 million goats, 1.98 million sheep, 2 million chickens, 45,000 camels, 34,532 horses and 51,388 donkeys.

The Sokoto State government is made up of the executive led by the governor currently Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, and his cabinet, the State House of Assembly comprising of 30 members led by the Speaker and the judiciary led by the State Chief judge. Sokoto State is divided into 23 local government areas.

Currently, the State owes its legal existence to the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As a State, it is constitutionally mandated to establish:

1. an Executive arm of government headed by an elected Governor;
2. a legislative arm of government which members shall be drawn from constituencies defined in the Constitution. Its activities are presided over by a Speaker elected by the members of the State House of Assembly which oversees the exercise of the State’s legislative energies;
3. a judicial arm made up of judges, magistrates and other officers that help in the administration of justice and related activities within the State. The judicial arm is headed by the State’s Chief Justice. Nonetheless, judicial pronouncement of the State’s tribunals are subject to the appellate review of the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Nigeria, in that order;
4. maintain of the Local Government level of governance. Presently, the Nigerian Constitution prescribes 23 local Local Government Areas for the State; and
5. mobilize the powers of the State, the institutions and resources of  its arms and levels of government in order to secure a socio-economic environment for persons resident in the State and its other stakeholders to pursue legitimate goals in dignity under the State’s justice administration umbrella.

The Sokoto State legal system comprises;

1. The compendium of Constitution provisions applicable to the State as one of the 36 States that constitute the Nigerian Federation;
2. Laws made by the Federal Legislature applicable throughout the entire federation or specifically to Sokoto State;
3. Laws made (or deemed to have been made), by the State’s legislature;
4. Laws made by Local Government Councils in the State;
5. Customary laws or other customs of the market place applicable under the operation of Law;
6. Judicial precedents of the courts of the State and of appellate courts with jurisdictions over its tribunals like the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Nigeria;
7. Judicial precedents of federation tribunals like the Federal High Court, the National Industrial Court, Code of Conduct Tribunal, Investments and Securities Tribunal and so on to the extent to which their mandates allow.
8. Law enforcement institutions, law enforcement officers, judges, legal practitioners, judiciary workers, other professionals and persons recognized at various levels as part of the justice administration complex of the State.

Sources of Law for the Sokoto State Legal System include:

1. The Constitution of Nigeria (including its amendments and other laws it refers to expressly as having the same character as provisions contained within the formal Constitutional document;
2. Laws of the Federation of Nigeria;
3. Legislations of the National Assembly applicable to Sokoto State;
4. Legislations of the State House of Assembly;
5. Recognized customs of the people of Sokoto State;
6. Judicial precedents of courts with judicial authority over Sokoto State;
7. Local Government edicts.

SOKOTO STATE BY LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS

LEGAL SYSTEMS OF THE FEDERATING UNITS OF NIGERIA – 37 STATES/FCT