Nigeria’s Judiciary and Its Corruption Malady

By Mobolaji Sanusi

“An impartial judiciary is essential to the administration of justice and the preservation of liberty.”
— James Madison (1751-1836)

Democracy without a credible judiciary is an invitation to a Hobbesian state of nature, where life is brutish, nasty, poor, and short. Like all human creations, state institutions established by human reasoning are not infallible and are susceptible to sometimes avoidable foibles. But when such imperfections become abysmally alarming, every right-thinking citizen should be deeply perturbed.

That is the shameful state of the Bench in Nigeria today, which is continually acknowledged by very senior stakeholders in the legal profession and beyond. Conflict, which is an essential part of societal coexistence, is becoming increasingly difficult to resolve fairly through the instrumentality of the courts.

This must have informed the country’s uninspiring, dismal ranking of 120th out of 143 countries in the 2025 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index. Given the exposed entrenched corruption on the Bench and in the legal profession generally, coupled with unchecked political interference and inadequate funding, the rating might even be worse by the time the 2026 ranking is released.

Expectedly, the court is a reflection of the society we live in, and the depth of its rot raises a pertinent and fundamental question: Is there any facet of Nigerian life that is immune to the malady of corruption? Yours sincerely acknowledge that there are still honourable judges and other Nigerians who remain above board, but they are so few in number that their feeble voices of reason have been drowned by the tumultuous horde of corrupt plunderers of the public till.

From the days of yore till the present, stakeholders within the legal system and observers outside the noble profession have been concerned and have consistently spoken out against the rot in that increasingly desecrated, fast diminishing profession in the country. Yet, the abysmal state of affairs in the judiciary and legal profession is not improving, and it continues to trouble reputable persons in the polity.

It is therefore unsurprising that retired Justice Amina Adamu Augie has become the latest voice in that regard. She is in a better position to know the extent of endemic corruption in the legal profession as a former teacher of lawyers and a retired Justice of the nation’s apex court. She might not be completely insulated from the rot like other justices/judges and lawyers, but she has raised a justifiable alarm at the recently held 40th anniversary of the Nigerian Law School Class of 1986, where she decried high-level corruption within Nigeria’s judiciary and legal profession.

She declared that corruption in the legal profession, wherever it exists — “on the Bench, at the Bar, or in the Registry — poisons everything by turning the one place where a citizen should find impartiality into one more market stall.”

That damning description of the judiciary as a “market stall” should not be taken lightly, because of the significance of the judiciary and the legal profession towards resolving recurring societal disputes, both human and institutional.

Until now, some Justices of the apex court have curiously deployed their valedictory sessions to expose the rot in the judiciary and the legal profession as a whole. Justice Musa Dattijo Muhammad, who retired as the second most senior Justice of the Supreme Court and Deputy Chairperson of the National Judicial Council, some time earlier noted the “witheringly scornful and monstrously critical” public perception of the judiciary, stemming from “court officials and judges easily being bribed by litigants to obviate delays and/or obtain favourable judgments.”

Similarly, Justice Adefope-Okojie, JCA, at the point of her exit, asked what qualifies any person to bear the exalted title of ‘Honourable Justice’ if not to administer justice without fear or favour. She bemoaned the increasing degeneration of honourable traits in members of the Bench and the Bar.

Justice Ejembi Eko, at his valedictory from the Supreme Court in 2022, expressed concerns about the tepid handling of corruption issues on the Bench by the NJC when he said: “With deference to the NJC, the punishment usually falls short of public expectation… When the punishment for an outstandingly bad and outrageous conduct is far too lenient, it encourages impunity and/or a repeat by others of such errant or atrocious misconduct.”
So far, the effort of the NJC in this regard is work in progress.

Afam Osigwe, the immediate past Nigerian Bar Association President, also earlier this year, during the National Association of Seadogs-organised Ralph Obiora Lecture that held in Enugu State, corroborated the rapacious corruption ravaging especially the Bench when he said: “The judiciary, once revered as the last hope of the common man, is increasingly perceived as a marketplace where justice is auctioned to the highest bidder.”

Osigwe relied on a 2024 survey by the UNODC and the National Bureau of Statistics which revealed that approximately N721 billion in cash bribes was received by public officials in 2023, with judges named as top recipients. An ICPC survey also reportedly showed that N9.4 billion in bribes passed through the justice sector, with lawyers and litigants identified as primary bribe-givers between 2018 and 2020. This is alarmingly condemnable.

Even the revered quintessential jurist of our time, Justice Kayode Eso, who passed on in November 2012, observed the rot in his book The Judiciary: The Shield of Justice, thus: “Corruption in the judiciary is a major problem that needs to be addressed. It is a problem that has been affecting the integrity and effectiveness of the judicial system… We need to take urgent steps to address corruption in the judiciary.”

Again, the question arises: are the necessary steps being taken to address this problem when the judiciary unfortunately relies absolutely on the executive branch for its survival? It made for shameful optics when, not too long ago, the Chief Judge of the nation’s Federal High Court, Honourable Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, led fellow judges cap-in-hand to beg the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, for landed property and other perquisites.

In my Yoruba culture, there’s a saying that “Ti enu ba je, oju a ti” — He who pays the piper dictates the tune. Following from this, it can be inferred that it will be difficult for the Bench to say a complete NO to the demands of their benefactor called Wike or anyone in the executive arm whenever the need arises. Too bad!

No wonder it is widely believed that corruption in the judiciary will subsist for as long as we have a judiciary that “…must beg the executive for a courtroom roof, vehicles, judges’ entitlements and financial autonomy for the courts” — all of which should ordinarily be constitutional perquisites of office for Justices and Judges.

The 2027 general elections are fast approaching and ours is a country where no politician contesting for positions accedes to defeat at the polls. Election losers in our clime always approach the Election Petition Tribunal on the flimsiest of excuses to contest their loss. Do we rely on “compromisable or tainted judicial officers” to move our democracy forward? This question under the prevailing circumstance is better left unanswered. Too bad!

The country must get its act right if we truly desire a judiciary that is, in words and deeds, largely an impartial referee, not a player in the game. What we have now is largely a courtroom where the calm and neutral administration of the law yields to political interests and pecuniary inducements; a complete reflection of the times we all live in and shamelessly adore for parochial sentiments. On this note, l rest my case for this week.

Ipoola Omisore Relocates ‘Ile-Ife Greats’ To Lagos

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
– Marcus Tallius Cicero (January 3, 106 BC—December 7, 43 BC).

The date is October 30, 2026. On that day, Lagos will be agog with a momentous event meant to celebrate recorded reputable sons and daughters of the Yoruba cradle from the Source in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

The convener of the event is none other than the elder statesman, accomplished advertising professional, educationist, author, and two-term former member of the House of Assembly of the Centre of Excellence, Hon. Ahmed Ipoola Omisore, who authored the book titled: “Great Ifes in History,” which will be launched on that day.

The Royal Father of the Day is His Imperial Majesty, Oba Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi, CFR, while the Principal Guest of Honour is His Excellency, Dr. Kadri Obafemi Hamzat—the incoming governor of Lagos state come May 29,2027, insha Allah. The Father-of-the-Day is Chief Oyekunle Alex-Duduyemi, while the book reviewer is the accomplished journalist, President Emeritus of the Nigerian Guild of Editors and Provost of the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye.

Definitely, next Friday promises to be an interesting day at the Lagos Airport Hotel, Ikeja, venue for this promising event by Honourable Omisore.

Trust me, yours sincerely will be present at the occasion to celebrate the day with invited guests…..Congratulations in advance Honourable Omisore…

•Sanusi, former MD/CEO of Lagos State Signage and Advertisement Agency, is currently Managing Partner at AMS RELIABLE SOLICITORS. (WhatsApp only:07011117777).