Deities as the third arm of traditional Igbo government

Igbo studies, especially on political organisations, have enjoyed robust scholarly attention in historical discourse in recent times. The Igbo, unlike their immediate neighbours such as Benin (Edo) and the Igala, ran two parallel systems of government in the pre-colonial period. While some practised a centralised system of government, a reasonable number of Igbo communities contended with decentralised systems. Some reasons for the reign of peace and harmony amongst the Igbo have remained largely uninvestigated and unappreciated. The role of deities as the judicial arm of government in the defence and execution of the law in Igboland has been sketchy in the literature. This extant gap appears to have been ignored by most Igbo scholars who, having been trained in mission schools, have negatively profiled deities and their roles in the traditional Igbo political system. This Eurocentric view calls for a re-interpretation so as to broaden the frontiers of knowledge of this religio-political institution and its role in justice delivery among the Igbo in the decentralized group. This study, therefore, investigates the role of deities in the sustenance of village democracy and autonomy in Igboland. Data garnered from the above sources were organised, analysed and presented through descriptive and analytical approach. This study stirs up deeper insight into this more or less dormant area of Igbo history and also arouses scholarly attention thereto. The study found that deities in non-centralised Igbo communities substituted monarchical institutions and thus brought spiritual dimensions into the Igbo system of governance.