The Philosophical Concept of Justice in Igbo Proverbs and Oral Tradition

This study investigates the philosophical concept of justice as expressed in Igbo proverbs, oral narratives, and moral aphorisms, with the aim of reconstructing an Igbo philosophy of justice applicable to contemporary debates in legal philosophy and social ethics in Nigeria's South East geopolitical zone. African philosophy has increasingly recognised that proverbs and oral traditions constitute systematic philosophical thought rather than mere cultural folklore, and Igbo proverbs in particular contain rich resources for philosophical reflection on fairness, equity, restitution, and moral desert. Using a descriptive ethnophilosophical design, the study collected 80 justice-related Igbo proverbs through structured interviews with 25 Igbo elders and language scholars in Imo and Anambra States, subjecting them to philosophical analysis using the analytical tools of conceptual clarification and normative argumentation. Secondary literature on African philosophy and philosophy of law published between 2020 and 2024 supplements the primary collection. The study draws comparisons with Aristotle's distributive and corrective justice concepts to illuminate the distinctive features of Igbo justice philosophy. Findings reveal a sophisticated conception of justice that integrates procedural fairness, communal harmony, and spiritual accountability in ways that Western legal philosophy does not capture. Keywords: Igbo philosophy, justice, proverbs, oral tradition, African ethics.