KADIS (JUDGES) OF THE SHARIA COURT OF APPEAL: THE PROBLEMS OF IDENTITY, RELEVANCE, AND MARGINALISATION WITHIN THE NIGERIAN LEGAL SYSTEM

Abstract The position of Kadis reflects well the inferior position of Islamic law in relation to the common law in the Nigerian legal system. The general attitude of many legal practitioners to the Sharia Court of Appeal and the Customary Court of Appeal is that these courts will eventually disappear and their jurisdiction will merge into that of the High Court. Kadis are considered as aberrations within the judicial system. However, the Zamfara State initiative revived Islamic law and the status of Kadis. This article examines the position of Kadis before and after the Zamfara State initiative, and suggests what remains to be done to give Kadis a befitting place within the Nigerian legal system.