A Comparative Analysis of The Intestate Rules of Succession And The Testate Rules of Succession in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Death is an inevitable end of everyone. All societies even the crudest, have a form in which individual’s property will be dealt with after they die. Wills are generally unknown and partially alien to indigenous Nigerian culture. In some instances however, some terms of testamentary disposition of property are made to safeguard and avoid the various problems that may likely arise after the death of a family head. Succession, a concept of family set up is centered on a person dying and leaving behind property to be inherited by his successors. Succession may be testate or intestate succession. There exist various rules that govern succession in Nigeria as Nigeria is a multi ethnic society with diverse cultures and customs and each culture has its own rules that govern disposition of family property, i.e. the customary law of a particular society determines the customary intestate succession of a deceased person in that community. In view of the above submissions, this work shall try to examine the testate and intestate rule of succession in Nigeria by given a comparative analysis of the customary rules in Nigeria.

TABLE OF CONTENT

TITLE PAGE………………………………………………………………………..i

CERTIFICATION…………………………………………………………………ii

DEDICATION………………………………………………………………………

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT……………………………………………………………

ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………iii

LIST OF STATUTES…………………………………………………………………iv

LIST OF CASES………………………………………………………………………v

LIST OF ABBREVIATION…………………………………………………………vi

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.0.0.INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………….1-4

1.1.0.STATEMENT OF PROBLEM…………………………………………….…4-6

1.2.0.BACKGROUND OF STUDY…………………………………………………7

1.3.0.AIMS AND OBJECTIVES……………………………………………………8-9

1.4.0.SCOPE OF THE STUDY………………………………………………………9

1.5.0.RESEARCH METHODOLOGY……………………………………….……..9-10

1.6.0.DEFINITION OF TERMS…………………………………………………...10-11

1.7.0.LITERATURE REVIEW…………………………………………………….12-18

1.8.0.CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………..……18

CHAPTER TWO

INTESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION UNDER CUSTOMARY LAW

2.0.0. INTRODUCTION………………………………………………………………...19

2.1.0.THE YORUBA RULES OF CUSTOMARY INTESTATE SUCCESSION………………………………………………………………..19-30

2.2.0.THE IGBO RULES OF CUSTOMARY INTESTATE SUCCESSION…………………………………………………………..……30-35

 2.3.0 THE BENIN RULES OF CUSTOMARY INTESTATE SUCCESSION……………………………………………………….….……35-43

2.4.0 THE HAUSA/ ISLAMIC RULES OF CUSTOMARY INTESTATE SUCCESSION……………………………………………………………..…43-51

2.5.0 COMPARISON BETWEEN ISLAMIC LAW OF INHERITANCE, IGBO, BENIN AND YORUBA CUSTOMARY LAWS OF INHERITANCE.........51-55

2.6.0. CONCLUSION…………………………………………………………..……55-56

CHAPTER THREE

STATUTORY WILL (TESTATE SUCCESSION IN NIGERIA) 

3.1.0 INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………..…………57

3.2.0 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN A WILL AND A NUNCUPATIVE WILL…57-58

3.3.0 APPLICABLE LAWS RELATING TO STATUTORY WILLS ACT, 1837 WILLS ACT……………………………………………………………….…58-61

3.4.0 REQUIREMENT OF A STATUTORY WILL………………………………………………………………….……...61-63

3.5.0. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………63

CHAPTER FOUR

COMPARISM BETWEEN INTESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION AND TESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION IN NIGERIA.

4.0.0 INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………...………64-65

4.1.0 SIMILARITIES BETWEEN INTESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION AND TESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION IN NIGERIA……………………65-67

4.2.0 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INTESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION AND TESTATE RULES OF SUCCESSION IN NIGERIA…………………67-69

4.3.0. CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………69

CHAPTER FIVE

GENERAL CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION

5.0.0 SUMMARY/CONCLUSION…………………………………………………..70-71

5.1.0 RECOMMENDATION…………………………………………………...……71-72

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