The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Motonmori Kekere-Ekun, has revealed that a total of 2,398 financial crime convictions were recorded in the judiciary between January 2, 2024, and August 2, 2024, by anti-graft agencies.
Kekere-Ekun disclosed this on Monday, September 30, 2024, while making her first official statement at the 2024/2025 legal year of the Supreme Court, attended by Nairametrics.
She commended the courts for their commendable performance in handling these cases.
Breakdown of cases
Kekere-Ekun noted that the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO), chaired by Justice Suleiman Galadima, CFR, JSC (Rtd.), has been instrumental in expediting the trial of corruption and financial crimes in the country.
Working in collaboration with anti-graft agencies, she said COTRIMCO has facilitated a significant rise in the dispensation of corruption cases.
“Between January 2, 2024, and August 2, 2024, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), with COTRIMCO’s support, secured 2,387 convictions, while the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) filed 54 cases and secured 11 convictions,” she added.
According to her, in the last legal year, the Supreme Court handled 1,124 cases, invoking both its appellate and original jurisdiction.
“These included 435 civil appeals, 269 civil motions, 219 criminal appeals, 102 criminal motions, 89 political appeals, and 10 originating summons. A total of 247 judgments and rulings were delivered, including 74 political cases, 92 civil cases begun by originating summons, and 81 criminal cases,” she said, praising the dedication and teamwork of fellow justices and court staff.
However, she encouraged litigants to embrace alternative dispute resolution mechanisms to ease the burden on courts, stressing that the culture of litigating every disagreement and appealing every lost case, no matter how trivial, significantly contributes to the backlog of pending appeals in the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal.
“This trajectory is unsustainable for a nation striving for economic development and human capital growth,” she said.
The CJN noted that the attitudes of some lawyers and stakeholders in the justice sector are sometimes less than salutary and have, to a large extent, contributed to the current image deficit of the country’s legal system.
“Forum shopping by some of our legal practitioners is rampant. Such acts often give rise to conflicting orders by courts of coordinate jurisdiction,” she added.
She warned that there would be consequences for any act of indiscretion that could bring the judiciary into disrepute.
She stated that the judiciary has rules and ethics guiding the practice of the legal profession, and judicial officers must work assiduously to abide by them and always do what is right in the eyes of the law.
“Under my leadership, the judiciary will adhere to the principles of honesty, transparency, and integrity. I call upon all judicial officers and members of the Bar to join me in achieving this goal.
“The independence of the judiciary is always a topical issue. Let me categorically state that the Nigerian judiciary is largely independent in conducting its affairs and rendering decisions without interference,” she said.
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On his part, the president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Mazi Afam Osigwe, told the audience that it is unacceptable that many Nigerians, particularly those from rural or marginalized communities, are unable to access the justice system due to geographical, financial, or procedural barriers.
He said trust in the judiciary is only possible when people believe that justice is accessible and attainable.
He called for innovative solutions to make justice more affordable and accessible, such as greater use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms and the digitization of court processes.
He advised courts to embrace the modernization of court systems, including the use of technology to expedite case management and reduce unnecessary delays.
“At the Bar, we shall advocate for the computerization of the litigation process, including the recording of court proceedings in all superior courts of record. We will also propose judicial reform in the following areas: case management and scheduling with time slots, notification to lawyers of adjournments, enforcement of the use of NBA email addresses in the filing of all processes, and customized email addresses for all court registries,” he said.
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