Crime, Prison Services and Administration in Colonial Ilorin Emirate, North Central, Nigeria

• Authors: Ridwan Tosho Idris , Olawale Isaac Yemisi
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

Before the emergence of colonial rule in Nigeria, pre-colonial societies had well-organised political and judicial institutions that guided customary laws and orderliness. Among the means employed in implementing order and laws was the ‘prison’ locally referred to as ‘Tubu’. The advent of colonial rule under the British Native Administration also witnessed the use of prisons to maintain law and order in the colonies. The colonial authority put at its disposal the coercive security apparatus of police, court, and prison to enable a conducive environment for society. The prison operated within the basic framework of maintaining peace and order. In Ilorin Province, the Emir, under the indirect rule system, controlled these instruments of power and authority, such as treasuries, prisons, courts, and police. Using a historical research method that relies on archival documents collected from the National Archive Kaduna (NAK), Nigeria and secondary source of data from books and peer-reviewed journals, the article examined crime, prison services and administration in Ilorin Emirate. Under the prison administration, the article seeks to understand how issues of rehabilitation, prisoners’ health, food, genderisation of prisoners, and the condition of service provided by prison wardens were handled under colonial rule. The article contributes to a global perspective on how British colonialists conceptualised and handled issues surrounding punishment and prison during colonial rule.

Keywords

EN

Crime; Colonial; Ilorin; Nigeria; Prison

• Publisher: University of West Bohemia, Pilsen, Czech Republic
• Journal: West Bohemian Historical Review
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 23-40

Contributors

author

Ridwan Tosho Idris

• University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria

author

Olawale Isaac Yemisi

• University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria