The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, has condemned what she described as “blanket allegations of corruption” being deployed of recent against the judiciary.
The CJN, who admitted that judges and justices are not infallible in the course of their judicial duties, warned that tagging the entire judiciary as corrupt has a way of weakening the institutions and hurting the integrity of a lot of judges and justices who have been labouring faithfully in the discharge of their duties.
She spoke on Wednesday, shortly after 14 new judges of the Federal High Court, took their oath of office, at the headquarters of the Supreme Court, Abuja.
“In recent times, there has been a troubling pattern of broad, sweeping attacks against the Judiciary. It has become fashionable in some quarters to deploy blanket allegations of corruption against the institution as a whole.
“While constructive criticism is legitimate in a constitutional democracy, indiscriminate denunciation is neither fair nor responsible. Such sweeping generalisations wound deeply,” Kekere-Ekun said.
She lamented that these critics do not merely criticise decisions but, cast aspersions on the integrity of men and women who have lived honourably, laboured faithfully, and discharged their duties with unblemished records.
The CJN warned that: “When corruption is alleged without specificity, without evidence, and without recourse to established complaint mechanisms, the damage is collective. It erodes public trust, weakens institutional authority, and unjustly stains reputations built over decades of sacrifice.
“A judge who has served with integrity should not be made to stand under a cloud created by reckless rhetoric.
“Let me be clear: the Judiciary does not claim infallibility. Where misconduct is established, it will be addressed firmly and transparently.
“The National Judicial Council remains vigilant and will not hesitate to discipline any judicial officer found wanting. Accountability is indispensable to judicial independence. But independence itself must be protected from careless assault.
“Criticism must be responsible. Allegations must be evidence-based. Institutions must not be casually delegitimised, for when confidence in the courts collapses, the rule of law itself is imperilled.”
She however challenged the new judges to be fair, bold, thorough in the discharge of their duties because the Federal High Court occupies a pivotal place in the judicial architecture.
“By constitutional design, it exercises jurisdiction over matters that directly shape the economic, political and regulatory life of the nation including revenue, banking, maritime affairs, intellectual property, and other complex commercial disputes.
“Your decisions will resonate far beyond the courtroom. They will influence markets, institutions, public confidence, and, in many instances, the stability of governance itself,” she warned.
Meanwhile, the CJN stated that as part of efforts at increasing public confidence in the judiciary, the authorities of the judiciary took steps to strengthen its evaluation mechanisms to ensure that merit, integrity, competence, and temperament were the governing criteria for the employment of judicial officers.
“In addition to structured peer and professional feedback and comprehensive background integrity checks, the process now incorporates a formal mechanism for public participation.
“For the first time in a more deliberate and structured manner, the names of shortlisted candidates were published and members of the public were invited to submit written comments on their integrity, professional reputation, and overall suitability for judicial office.
“This measure reflects a conscious institutional commitment to transparency and accountability. The judiciary recognises that public confidence in the courts begins with confidence in the process by which judges emerge. By opening a window for responsible public input, we have taken an important step towards strengthening that trust.
“These reforms were not cosmetic. They reflect an institutional determination to reinforce public confidence in the process by which judges are appointed. The judiciary must not only be impartial; it must be seen to be composed of men and women whose emergence inspires trust. Your presence here today is the outcome of that deliberate effort to elevate standards and insulate appointments from improper influence,” she said.
