WIDOWS' INHERITANCE RIGHTS UNDER STATUTORY AND YORUBA CUSTOMARY LAW: EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Widows' inheritance rights remain one of the most contested issues within Nigeria's plural legal system, particularly in Yoruba communities where statutory guarantees of equality coexist with customary succession practices that often restrict women's access to family property. This study examined widows' inheritance rights under statutory and Yoruba customary law in selected communities in Southwest Nigeria using a convergent parallel mixed-methods research design. The study was anchored on Legal Pluralism Theory and the Human Rights-Based Approach. Quantitative data was collected through structured questionnaires administered to respondents in the selected communities, while qualitative data was generated through 40 semi-structured interviews with widows, traditional rulers, family heads (Olórí Ẹbí), legal practitioners, and judicial officers. Documentary analysis of 25 inheritance-related judicial decisions delivered between 2015 and 2025 complemented the primary data. The findings revealed that although the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, statutory legislation, and judicial precedents increasingly protect widows against discriminatory inheritance practices, the implementation of these legal safeguards remains weak. Deeply entrenched customary norms, inadequate legal awareness, financial constraints, social pressure, and limited access to justice continue to impede widows' effective enjoyment of inheritance rights. The study further established that educational attainment, legal literacy, and access to formal justice institutions significantly enhance widows' capacity to assert and protect their inheritance rights. It concludes that legal reforms alone are insufficient without effective enforcement and constructive engagement with traditional institutions. The study recommends strengthening legal aid services, improving enforcement of court decisions, expanding public legal education, enhancing access to justice, and fostering collaboration between state institutions and traditional authorities. The study contributes to socio-legal scholarship by demonstrating how legal pluralism continues to shape the realization of widows' inheritance rights in contemporary Yoruba society.