CULTURE: Court Rejects Proposed Installation of Eze-Indigene in Edo, Cites State Laws, Tradition

By Osaze IMAFIDO, Benin

‎The Edo State High Court has ruled against the proposed installation of an Eze-Indigene, maintaining that settlers and non-indigenes in the state have no legal authority to create or install a paramount traditional ruler outside the established traditional institutions of the state.

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‎Delivering judgment, Justice Erabal traced the matter to existing laws governing traditional institutions in Edo State and described the proposed installation as an “aberration” and a violation of the state’s traditional and legal framework.

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‎The judge, while citing relevant provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, noted that although the Constitution promotes peaceful coexistence among the country’s diverse ethnic groups, such coexistence must operate within the laws, traditions and customs of host communities. 

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‎He added that just as an Edo man could not establish a parallel traditional institution in the eastern part of the country, non-indigenes could not establish one in Edo State.

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‎The court consequently ruled in favour of the Edo Art and Cultural Heritage Institute. 

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‎Reacting to the judgment, the plaintiff, Bar. Usagi Obayuwana, commended the court for what he described as a sound and professional verdict, stressing that adherence to the law was necessary to maintain sanity and tranquillity in Edo State.

 THE BEAGLE NEWS