BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945

This paper examines British colonial punishments in northern Nigeria, with a specific focus on the Native Authority Prison in Idah district. Prior to the advent of British administration, Idah was renowned for its indigenous methods of punishments that were rooted in its customs and traditions. The...

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Main Authors: OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU, YAHAYA YUSUF
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Federal University Wukari 2023-12-01
Series:International Studies Journal
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Online Access:https://wissjournals.com.ng/index.php/wiss/article/view/259
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author OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU
YAHAYA YUSUF
author_facet OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU
YAHAYA YUSUF
author_sort OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU
collection DOAJ
description This paper examines British colonial punishments in northern Nigeria, with a specific focus on the Native Authority Prison in Idah district. Prior to the advent of British administration, Idah was renowned for its indigenous methods of punishments that were rooted in its customs and traditions. These indigenous punishments never alienated offenders from their community, and the idea of incarceration without timely prosecution and integration of offenders was unheard of in the area. However, pre-colonial punishment in Idah was not only predicated on peace-building, but it also had the potential to transform offenders after the process of justice administration and dispensation. While, this was peculiar to those who committed minor offenses, perpetrators of serious crimes such as murder, homicide, and arson were immediately made to face the consequences of their actions, which were mostly total banishment from both the immediate community and adjoining settlements. The study argues that, beyond the fact that the Native Authority Prison was built to sustain colonial labour, which was a common phenomenon at that time, the Native Authority Prison created a new form of asymmetrical power relations in Idah district, a society which had previously been paternalistic in nature. The paper employs the qualitative research methods alongside the exploration of historical primary sources such as oral interviews and archival data as well as secondary sources which include both published and unpublished literature such as books, journal articles and processed internet materials.
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institution Kabale University
issn 2756-4649
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publishDate 2023-12-01
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spelling doaj-art-4a782ae9b9854f5ba8c7cfa6c1865dcd2025-02-10T10:00:44ZengFederal University WukariInternational Studies Journal2756-46492023-12-0175BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU0YAHAYA YUSUF1Prince Abubakar Audu University, AnyigbaBayero University Kano This paper examines British colonial punishments in northern Nigeria, with a specific focus on the Native Authority Prison in Idah district. Prior to the advent of British administration, Idah was renowned for its indigenous methods of punishments that were rooted in its customs and traditions. These indigenous punishments never alienated offenders from their community, and the idea of incarceration without timely prosecution and integration of offenders was unheard of in the area. However, pre-colonial punishment in Idah was not only predicated on peace-building, but it also had the potential to transform offenders after the process of justice administration and dispensation. While, this was peculiar to those who committed minor offenses, perpetrators of serious crimes such as murder, homicide, and arson were immediately made to face the consequences of their actions, which were mostly total banishment from both the immediate community and adjoining settlements. The study argues that, beyond the fact that the Native Authority Prison was built to sustain colonial labour, which was a common phenomenon at that time, the Native Authority Prison created a new form of asymmetrical power relations in Idah district, a society which had previously been paternalistic in nature. The paper employs the qualitative research methods alongside the exploration of historical primary sources such as oral interviews and archival data as well as secondary sources which include both published and unpublished literature such as books, journal articles and processed internet materials. https://wissjournals.com.ng/index.php/wiss/article/view/259NativeAuthorityPrisonDistrictCrime ControlNigeria
spellingShingle OLASUNKANMI VICTOR ASAJU
YAHAYA YUSUF
BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
International Studies Journal
Native
Authority
Prison
District
Crime Control
Nigeria
title BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
title_full BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
title_fullStr BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
title_full_unstemmed BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
title_short BRITISH COLONIAL PUNISHMENTS IN NORTHERN NIGERIA: A STUDY OF NATIVE AUTHORITY PRISON AND CRIME CONTROL IN IDAH DISTRICT, 1929-1945
title_sort british colonial punishments in northern nigeria a study of native authority prison and crime control in idah district 1929 1945
topic Native
Authority
Prison
District
Crime Control
Nigeria
url https://wissjournals.com.ng/index.php/wiss/article/view/259
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AT yahayayusuf britishcolonialpunishmentsinnorthernnigeriaastudyofnativeauthorityprisonandcrimecontrolinidahdistrict19291945