Justice is bought and sold in Nigeria – NBA President

By Ihuoma Chiedozie
Tuesday, 20 Sep 2011

The President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr. Joseph Daudu, SAN, on Monday said there was evidence that justice was bought in the country.

The statement came just as the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Dahiru Musdapher, warned corrupt judges in the country to resign immediately.

The NBA President and the Acting CJN spoke at a special court session to mark the beginning of a new Legal Year 2011/2012, which held at the main auditorium of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

In his address at the event, Daudu also expressed concern at the contradictory judgments being delivered by the panel of justices of the various divisions of the Court of Appeal on election petitions.

He also attributed the rise in cases of assassinations, and terrorism in the country to the inability of the judiciary to deliver clear, unquestionable judgments.

Bemoaning the sad state of Nigeria’s judicial system, Daudu noted that there was a growing perception that justice could be bought in the country.

“There is a growing perception backed up by empirical evidence that justice is purchasable and it has been purchased on several occasions in Nigeria,” Daudu said.

He added that the impending conclusion of the sitting of electoral petitions tribunals, when the various panels would deliver their judgments, would present even more critical challenges for the judiciary.

Daudu said, “We are reaching the point in time where accusations of corruption in the system will be at its loudest.

“The Court of Appeal is beginning to deal with interlocutory appeals and some final decisions in some governorship disputes.

“Already, the strain or effect of the over-balkanisation of the intermediate appellate court into numerous divisions by way of conflicting decisions on very serious matters in the electoral process is beginning to be felt.

“An example is the Court’s decision on the matter of initiating pre-hearing session which is a prelude or condition precedent to the actual hearing of an election petition.”

Reacting to Daudu’s statement, Lagos-baged lawyer, Femi Falana said, “He (Daudu) has spoken the mind of the generality of Nigerian lawyers. The monetisation of justice in Nigeria has reached a very, very disturbing level. But I think the NBA has done enough of condemnation of the criminal phenomenon. The bar must now proceed to fish out those among our judges and lawyers who are destroying the judiciary.

“The NBA will need a judiciary monitoring committee in each of its branches that will report corrupt judges and their agents and touts among lawyers and other members of the public.”

Earlier in his address at the event, the acting CJN urged judges to live up to their code of conduct or resign their appointments.

Musdapher stressed that, under his leadership, there would be zero tolerance for corruption in the system.

SOURCE: Punch Newspaper, 20 September 2011.  http://www.punchontheweb.com/