Before Nigeria became a republic, the highest body charged with the administration of justice was the
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Before Nigeria became a republic, the highest body charged with the administration of justice was the Privy Council, which was based in Britain. Nigeria was a British colony, and as such, its legal system was heavily influenced by British law. The Privy Council was the highest court in the British legal system, and it had final jurisdiction over all legal matters in the colonies.
Nigeria had a hierarchical legal system that was organized in tiers, with the Privy Council at the top. Below the Privy Council was the Supreme Court, which was the highest court in Nigeria. The Supreme Court was established in 1960, shortly before Nigeria gained independence from Britain, and it was modeled after the British legal system. The Court of Appeal and the High Court were also part of the Nigerian legal system, and they heard cases that were referred to them by lower courts.
However, after Nigeria became a republic in 1963, it adopted a new constitution that removed the Privy Council as the final court of appeal. The Supreme Court became the highest court in the land, and it has remained so to this day. The Nigerian legal system has undergone many changes since then, but the Supreme Court remains the final authority on all legal matters in the country.