A recent allegation by the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, that many court judgments are influenced by the fatness of envelopes rather than the evidence, has continued to generate varied reactions within judicial circles.
Speaking at the Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture organized by the National Association of Sea Dogs in Enugu, themed “Judicial Corruption in Nigeria: A Menace to Democracy and Social Justice”, Osigwe, SAN, described the rot in the judiciary as a “moral crisis and a democratic emergency” that threatens the foundation of the country.
“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 added, insisting that citizens now view courtrooms as arenas where rulings are influenced by bribes rather than evidence.
To further fortify his claim, the NBA President cited a 2024 survey by the UNODC and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBA) which revealed that public officials received approximately N721 billion in cash bribes in 2023, with judges among the top recipients.
He equally noted that a survey by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicated that N9.4 billion in bribes flowed through the justice sector between 2018 and 2020, with lawyers and litigants identified as primary bribe-givers.
“History will judge us not by our eloquence, but by our willingness to act. The temple of justice must be cleansed to ensure the rule of law prevails over the rule of money,” Osigwe, SAN, stated.
Meanwhile, reacting to Osigwe’s claim, a Life Bencher and former Chairman of the Benchers Mentoring Committee, Chief Joe-Kyari Gadzama, SAN, maintained that levelling such a damning allegation against the judiciary was not enough. He called for details and names of the corrupt judicial officers.
In an interview with Vanguard, Chief Gadzama, SAN, said: “There is nothing wrong with the President of the Bar accusing the Judiciary of being very corrupt provided he goes further to, among other things, simultaneously: Give the details of the corrupt
