Abstract:
Peace and justice constitute the moral and institutional foundations of any stable society. In Yorubaland, traditional rulers (Obas) remain central actors in maintaining social order due to their cultural legitimacy and close engagement with grassroots communities. This study examines the roles of selected Muslim monarchs in promoting peace and justice within contexts marked by religious plurality, ethnic diversity, and communal tension. Using the historical method complemented by qualitative field research, the study investigates nine Muslim Obas across Yorubaland. Primary data were generated through oral interviews conducted between 2020 and 2021 with six of the monarchs in their palaces, as well as with Islamic scholars, palace chiefs, community leaders, and other relevant stakeholders. For deceased rulers, secondary oral testimonies were relied upon. The selection of cases was purposive, based on documented involvement in peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and justice administration. Oral accounts were triangulated with archival materials, palace records, newspaper reports, and relevant scholarly literature to enhance reliability and reduce memory bias. The findings reveal that Muslim traditional rulers played decisive roles in resolving intra-Muslim disputes, managing Muslim and non-Muslim relations, addressing indigene and settler tensions, responding to insecurity, and exercising forgiveness in the face of personal provocation. Their interventions combined Islamic ethical principles with indigenous mechanisms of conflict resolution, thereby strengthening social cohesion and communal trust. The study argues that Muslim traditional rulers remain indispensable agents of peacebuilding and justice delivery in contemporary Yoruba society and calls for greater institutional recognition of traditional authorities within peace and conflict governance frameworks
DOI: https://www.doi.org/10.57233/djfafais.2026.v22i02.016
author/ALATISE, Abdush-Shakoor Olanrewaju
journal/Degel 22(2) | October 2026 |
