Justice Cries Out : Corruption is Turning Nigerian courts into ‘market stalls’

—Blames govt for ignoring court rulings

A retired justice of the supreme court, Amina Adamu Augie, has sounded worry that corruption among judges, lawyers and court officials is undermining the administration of justice in Nigeria, turning the courts into “market stalls” rather than temples of justice.

While calling for the sanctioning of erring practitioners, irrespective of their roles or seniority, Augie said corruption within the legal profession had also damaged public confidence in the judiciary, .

She bared her mind on this, Saturday in Abuja, at the 40th anniversary of the Nigerian Law School Class of 1986, also known as the Centennial Class, while delivering a public lecture titled: “The Rule of Law and Justice Delivery — The Last 40 Years, Today and Tomorrow: Wither Nigeria?”

The retired supreme court justice, also a former lecturer at the Nigerian Law School before her judicial career, fingered corruption, political interference, inadequate funding and delays in the dispensation of justice, as some of the major ills against the judiciary. In her words:

“The third, which I will not dress up, is corruption. Where it exists on the Bench, at the Bar, or in the Registry, it poisons everything by turning the one place that a citizen should find impartiality into one more market stall.”

She nevertheless warned against a sweeping generalisation of the entire judiciary as corrupt, as most judges and lawyers were honest, hardworking and underpaid.

In her opinion, the judicial system must be structured to protect the integrity of its officers rather than expose them to temptation.

The retired Justice took a cautious analysis of the unethical conduct of some senior members of the legal profession that has grossly eroded public trust in the administration of justice. She therefore added:

“Have we kept faith with them? In part, YES, in part, NO. Public trust has paid the price. The public today is quick to believe the worst of lawyers, and sorry to say, not always without cause.

“When a few senior members of the profession have been found to traffic in the corruption of justice, the damage is not to them alone; it stains the gown we all wear.”

She went further to counsel that restoring public confidence would require more than image management, pointing out that the legal profession must demonstrate the courage to discipline its erring members without regard to their influence.

“Restoring that trust is not a matter of better public relations. It is a matter of conduct and a profession willing to discipline its own, without fear or favor, no matter how senior the offender may be in the legal profession.”

Augie insisted that lawyers’ primary responsibility was to the court and the administration of justice rather than to their clients, stressing that the profession has its ethics deeply rooted in honesty, candour and respect for the rule of law.

She said lawyers must shun the temptation to manipulate judicial processes, fabricate evidence or procure favourable judgments through improper means.

Beyond corruption, Augie identified inadequate funding as a major threat to judicial independence, arguing that a judiciary dependent on the executive for its basic operational needs could not be considered fully autonomous.

“A Judiciary that must beg the executive for a Courtroom roof, vehicles, or even the Judges’ entitlements is not fully free; financial autonomy for the Courts is not a perk for Justices and Judges, but a guarantee for litigants,” she said.

She also lamented the delays and high costs associated with litigation, describing delay as the chronic disease of Nigeria’s justice system.

Drawing from her experience on the Supreme Court, she said the apex court was overwhelmed by appeals, including cases that should ordinarily not reach the highest judicial authority.

She recalled an appeal involving the burning of 12 goats, which had reached the Supreme Court despite its enormous workload.

According to her, constitutional amendments are necessary to restrict the categories of appeals that can reach the apex court and allow its justices to concentrate on matters of greater legal and national significance.

Augie also criticised the persistent disobedience of court orders by government authorities, citing the prolonged detentions of former National Security Adviser Sambo Dasuki and Islamic Movement leader Ibrahim El-Zakzaky despite judicial orders for their release.

She said such conduct weakened the authority of the courts and encouraged citizens to regard the law as optional.

Reflecting on the state of the judiciary over the past 40 years, she acknowledged the progress made since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999 but expressed disappointment that justice remained slow, expensive and inaccessible to many citizens.

She noted that Nigeria ranked 120th out of 143 countries in the 2025 World Justice Project Rule of Law Index, describing the ranking as an uncomfortable reflection of the country’s institutional weaknesses.

Augie called for reforms that would strengthen judicial independence, expand access to justice, improve case management and restore ethical standards within the legal profession.

She urged members of the Class of 1986, many of whom now occupy senior positions in the judiciary and legal profession, to use their influence to defend the rule of law and restore public confidence.

“If Governments obey the Courts, if its Judgments are enforced, if justice comes within a reasonable time and within reach of the poor, if the profession upholds its integrity and disciplines its own,” she said, Nigeria would be better positioned to secure its future.

She concluded that the survival and progress of Nigeria would ultimately depend on the willingness of its leaders and legal professionals to uphold the rule of law.