Judicial corruption worse than armed madman – NBA

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), has issued a scathing indictment of the Nigerian judiciary, asserting that a corrupt judge poses a far greater threat to the survival of the nation than a violent criminal.

Delivering a keynote address on Monday at the 17th Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture, themed “Judicial Corruption in Nigeria: A Menace to Democracy and Social Justice,” Osigwe argued that the erosion of integrity within the legal system is a “democratic emergency”.

The NBA President said, “Metaphorically, a corrupt judge has been described as more harmful to the society than a man who runs amok with a dagger in a crowded street.

The latter, as you know, can be restrained physically.

But the former deliberately destroys the moral foundation of society and causes incalculable distress to individuals while still answering ‘honourable”.

Osigwe lamented that many Nigerians have steadily lost confidence in the judicial system, perceiving it as being riddled with inconsistency and undue influence.

He observed that the judiciary, which is constitutionally mandated to be the last hope of the common person, is increasingly viewed as an arena where justice can be delayed, manipulated, or “out rightly purchased by the highest bidder”.

Citing a 2024 survey by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Osigwe revealed that Nigerian public officials received approximately N721bn in cash bribes in 2023, with judges ranking among the top recipients.

He further noted that a separate Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) survey estimated that N9.4bn was involved in bribes within the justice sector between 2018 and 2020, with lawyers and litigants identified as primary bribe-givers.

“When rulings are allegedly influenced by envelopes rather than evidence, the judiciary ceases to be the last hope of the common man and becomes the first refuge of the powerful and the corrupt,” he said.

To combat the menace, the NBA President proposed the automation of case assignments to prevent “judge shopping” and the introduction of written tests for judicial appointments.

He also suggested that the Chief Justice of Nigeria should cease to be the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC) to reduce the over-concentration of power in that office.

He further recommended that judicial officers under investigation for corruption should be placed on immediate suspension to preserve the moral authority of the bench.

Earlier, the President of the National Association of Seadogs, Dr. Joseph Oteri, noted that the lecture was convened to honor the legacy of the late activist Ralph Opara. He described judicial corruption as a threat that has turned social justice into an illusion.