INTERROGATING THE JURISPRUDENTIAL PLACE OF KOS PAA DIVINERS IN THE PRE-COLONIAL JUSTICE SYSTEM OF MWAGHAVUL OF CENTRAL NIGERIA, 1500 - 1890
Abstract
This paper examines the Jurisprudential role of the Kos Paa diviners in the Pre- colonial Justice System of the Mwaghavul of Central Nigeria. This paper aims to bring to the limelight the indigenous knowledge system of the Mwagavul people and thereby, contribute to the existence of the African Traditional Knowledge System (ATKS) among the people of Central Nigeria. To achieve this, the paper examines the activities of the Kos Paa within the context of the Mwaghavul worldview, as an intermediary force between the spirit and the human world. Using secondary sources synthesized by primary sources, the paper discovers that the Kos Paa Diviners have a jurisprudential role over serious and heinous crimes that were beyond the adjudicating powers of the Council of Elders. These crimes include Waat (theft); Sehsot (Witchcraft); Dyel Maar (land dispute); Chin Nga or Del Ndem (Adultery or Fornication) and Turkaah (Murder, Homicide, and Manslaughter). The paper concludes that though colonialism and Christianity brought about considerable changes in the activities of Kos Paa, the practice survived them all.