The Nigerian Legal System and the Implementation of the Rome Statute Complementarity Principle

Nigeria operates a federal constitution. ¹ The operative constitution is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended by various Alteration Acts (the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the Constitution or the Constitution as amended). Nigeria has a central government known as the federal government and 36 states under the control of various state governments. ² It also has its capital in Abuja, called the Federal Capital Territory. ³ The Constitution is supreme and its provisions are binding ‘on all authorities and persons throughout the Federal Republic of Nigeria.’ ⁴ The supremacy of the Constitution suggests that the implementation of the principle of complementarity must be in accordance with the Constitution.