The National Judicial Council lately took some bold and commendable decisions in its attempt to weed out the judiciary of bad eggs.
Three judicial officers were recently suspended for misconduct while the appointment of an acting Chief Judge for Imo State was reversed.
The three judicial officers suspended for one year without pay are Jane E. Inyang (Court of Appeal, Uyo Division), Inyang Ekwo (Federal High Court, Abuja Division) and Aminu Baffa (Federal High Court, Zamfara Division).
Justice Inyang was found to have abused her office by issuing inappropriate ex parte orders for the sale of a petrol station and other businesses at the interlocutory stage of a case before her.
With that, she refused to give the aggrieved party a fair hearing.
Justice Ekwo was also said to have delivered a ruling in a pending application without hearing the parties.
He allegedly ignored an application to set aside the proceedings of the court conducted in the absence of the parties. Subsequently, he proceeded to deliver a ruling dismissing the charge against the defendants.
Also, no less than 18 judges in the Imo State judiciary are scheduled to appear before the NJC over alleged age falsification and misconduct.
The summons was sequel to a petition to the judges’ umbrella body, by a civil society group, the Civil Society Engagement Platform.
Recently, a non-governmental organisation, Human and Environmental Development Agenda lamented the high level of corruption in Nigeria’s judicial system.
HEDA stated this as part of findings contained in the fifth edition of the Leadership Approval Rating.
It said about 65.4 % of the public rate judicial corruption as high or extremely high.
It also said the report showed that only 42.3% believed that court decisions are based on merit while 64% believed that lawyers contribute to judicial corruption.
The Executive Secretary of HEDA, Arigbabu Sulaimon, said that the report was a nationwide analysis of public perception regarding the Nigerian judiciary and built from the responses of 1,357 participants across all 36 states and the FCT.
The demographic of those who took part in the survey for the report were fairly balanced with 53.9% male and 46.1% female; 57% of the respondents were aged 18-35, reflecting a strong youth engagement and every Nigerian state had over 30 responses with Yobe State having over 50 responses.
The findings revealed widespread concerns on judicial accessibility, corruption, political interference and the erosion of human rights protections.
“The prevalence of bribery, extortion, and political interference in the justice system has seriously tainted Nigeria’s global reputation, and undermined public trust in the judiciary and in democracy.”
The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has also expressed concerns over persistent challenges in the judiciary, including corruption allegations, delays in justice delivery, and perceived bias, despite efforts to tackle them.
Speaking in Abuja at the opening of the 2025 hybrid refresher course for judges of superior courts of record, Kekere-Ekun acknowledged that the issues continue to undermine public confidence in the judicial system.
“In spite of our collective efforts, challenges persist. Allegations of corruption, delays in the dispensation of justice, and perceptions of bias or inefficiency remain issues of concern,” the CJN said.
She noted that the challenges weaken the judiciary’s authority and create disconnect between the courts and the society they serve.
“The onus is therefore on us to confront these challenges head-on and reaffirm our commitment to judicial excellence,” she added.
Highlighting the judiciary’s role as the guardian of justice and the final arbiter in disputes, Kekere-Ekun noted that its effectiveness is deeply tied to public trust.
It must be noted that without public confidence, the judiciary’s moral authority is diminished, and its ability to discharge its constitutional mandate is impaired.
Judicial officers must note that public trust is neither assumed nor conferred; it must be earned and safeguarded through judicial integrity, professionalism, transparency, and an unwavering commitment to justice.
These officers must ensure that justice is dispensed with fairness, impartiality, and efficiency, because the perception of bias can be as damaging as actual impropriety.
It is not enough to be impartial; judicial officers must also be seen to be impartial.
Public trust forms the foundation of the judiciary’s legitimacy and it must be actively maintained.
Trust in the judiciary, like any cherished value, is neither automatic nor enduring without deliberate action.
Whatever the case, the NJC deserves commendation for waking up from its slumber to confront the rot in the judiciary. In so doing, the council has sent a clear signal to judges that it isn’t going to be business as usual.
To restore public confidence in the judiciary, NJC must remain firm. It must continue to flush out the bad eggs within the bench.
Lawyers, politicians, and officials who engage frequently in corrupting the judiciary should no longer go unpunished.
The prevalence of bribery, extortion, and political interference in the justice system has seriously tainted Nigeria’s global reputation, and undermined public trust in the judiciary and in democracy.
A 2021 report by the United States Department of State said the Nigerian judiciary is constantly under pressure from the executive and legislative arms of government. Corruption is particularly pervasive at election tribunals and in the corruption trials of highly politically exposed persons.
Public perception that judges are easily bribed, and that litigants cannot rely on the courts to render impartial judgments, is widespread.
Urgently, the infamous roles of senior lawyers in fuelling corruption must be addressed. The NJC and the Nigerian Bar Association should collaborate to rid the system of such bad eggs polluting the judicial system.
Corrupt judges, as the late jurist, Kayode Eso, noted years ago, are becoming billionaires through election cases. Unscrupulous senior lawyers that facilitate the corrupt transactions are making even more billions.
In truth, over the years, the NJC has wielded its disciplinary powers on some erring judges; some have been dismissed, others retired, and some denied promotion. However, many legal experts say these have not been enough because many corrupt judges still escape unscathed to enjoy their ill-gotten wealth.
Lack of accountability and consequences entrench graft. When corruption is exposed, there should be stiff punishment and criminal prosecution.
The CJN, NJC, and NBA should be determined to root out corruption in the bench and neutralise the desperate lawyers perverting the system.