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President Bola Tinubu recently urged judges to shun corruption in the discharge of their duties. He reiterated that justice must not be for sale but must remain sacred and insulated from compromise. The President, who stated this during the opening of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference of the Superior Courts in Abuja, emphasised that judicial officers remain the true custodians of justice and must not shirk from the responsibility. He reminded the judges that public perception of the judicial process in the country has not always been favourable, hence the need for judges to ensure that justice is not for the highest bidder.
“We must acknowledge, with candour, that public perception of the judicial process has not always been favourable. Citizens have expressed frustration at delays, concerns about integrity, and anxiety over access to justice. Justice must never be for sale, and the Bench must never become a sanctuary for compromise. Corruption in any arm of government weakens the nation, but corruption in the Judiciary destroys it at its core,” the President warned.
The corruption in the judiciary has also attracted comments from other notable Nigerians. The Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar, had in August this year lamented the rot in the judiciary and decried the seeming sale of justice to the rich at the detriment of the poor. The Sultan, who spoke at the Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Enugu, stated that corruption and inequality were weakening the very foundation of the nation’s courts. According to him, “justice is increasingly becoming a purchasable commodity, and the poor are becoming victims of this kind of justice, while the rich commit all manner of crime and walk the streets scot-free.” There is urgent need to change the ugly narrative.
We urge the judges to heed Tinubu’s timely advice and ensure that the justice system is not compromised. The corruption of the judiciary will no doubt weaken our nascent democracy and make a mockery of the judicial system. President Tinubu’s charge to judges on corruption has underscored the seriousness of the matter. As one of the arms of government, the judiciary should be bold, fearless and impartial in the discharge of its functions. Without fearless, bold and courageous judges, the judiciary will fail in its functions in a democracy. Democracy thrives where the judiciary is independent. The judiciary is an important arm of the government that is seen as the last hope of the common man. For it to play this enormous role effectively, it must be seen to be above board. This hope will be vitiated if judges are corrupt.
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Unfortunately, in recent years, the judiciary has come under suspicion of being influenced to make some pronouncements and judgements considered outrageous. The suspicion is that the officers involved may have been compromised with financial inducement. A publication by the Nigeria Bureau of Statistics (NBS), in March 2024, on its corruption pattern and trend in Nigeria for 2023, ranked judges as first among collectors of cash bribes among other public officials. According to the document, Nigerian judges and magistrates received the highest volume of bribes among public officials in 2023, surpassing the police, customs, and military personnel. Earlier in October 2023, a retiring Supreme Court Justice, Musa Dattijo Abubakar, had in his valedictory speech, decried the rot in the judiciary.
The judges and other judicial officers should see President Tinubu’s advice as a wake-up call on them to shun corruption. At a time of conflicting court judgements and brazen corruption in the judiciary, Tinubu’s advice is timely and must be heeded by officials in the temple of justice. It is sad that certain judgements emanating from our courts in recent times are being derided and frowned upon by the people.
However, the other arms of government should stop interfering in judicial matters. We say this because undue meddlesomeness by the executive in the judiciary can compromise its integrity. As we move towards the 2027 general election, the judiciary should leave up to expectation in handling election matters.
No doubt, the President has spoken well. The judges and other judicial officials should listen to him and do the needful. The integrity of our judicial system is paramount and must be maintained at all times. Therefore, we urge the federal government to ensure that Nigerian judges are adequately remunerated. If judges are not well paid, it will be difficult for them to resist bribes. Nevertheless, we call on them to shun corruption and maintain the integrity of the judiciary.
