Abstract

The paper focuses on the choice open to Muslim women on access to family justice in Yoruba land, Nigeria vis a vis the extant courts. Islam has been in Yoruba land as dated back to 14th Century but with no single Islamic court being established to cater for Muslim cases. The lawmakers in these areas did not see the need for creation of additional courts in these areas despite the powers vested in them by the constitution of the land to create additional courts where so desire without necessarily occasioning any injustice. The aim of this paper is to examine the extant courts and access the extent to which they have protected the interest of the Muslim women in this region. The paper adopts doctrinal method where both primary and secondary literature on the subject were analysed. The finding of this paper reveals that the inability of the government authority to sign and ratify the establishment of Muslim courts in these regions has contributed to the rate at which women are being abused and thrown out of their matrimonial homes. Hence, the paper recommends the establishment of Muslim (Shari’ah) Courts in Yoruba land so as to regulate all these anomalies.