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Murder and the Political Body in Early Colonial Ibadan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 March 2011

Ruth Watson
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Abstract

The article examines a murder trial in the Nigerian city of Ibadan during 1902. In the course of the trial a senior chief stated that those found guilty of the homicide should be fined, not executed, as a more severe punishment. The meaning of this statement is closely investigated in the context of the political climate in Ibadan at the time, of past judicial practices and through a reconstruction of the murder incident. It was argued that the assertion related to increasing competition between Ibadan chiefs and was an attempt to define constitutionally the economic and political value of a follower’s body.

Résumé

Cet article examine un procès pour meurtre dans la ville nigérienne d’Ibadan en 1902. Au cours de ce procès, un grand chef de la région a annoncé que les personnes déclarées coupables d’un homicide devaient s’acquitter d’une amende, et non être exécutées, en guise de peine plus sévère. La signification de cette déclaration est étudiée de près dans le contexte du climat politique qui régnait à cette époque à Ibadan et des anciens usages judiciaires, ainsi qu’à travers la reconstitution du crime. L’article soutient que cette déclaration avait un lien avec la concurrence croissante entre les chefs d’Ibadan et constituait une tentative de définir constitutionnellement la valeur économique et politique du corps d’un partisan.

Type
Research Article
Information
Africa , Volume 70 , Issue 1 , February 2000 , pp. 25 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © International African Institute 2000

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