Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a scathing attack on Nigeria's judiciary, accusing a significant portion of judges and lawyers of corruption and compromising their roles in the delivery of justice.
Speaking at the Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Bwari Branch, in Abuja on Monday, May 19, 2025, El-Rufai claimed that the Nigerian public has lost trust in the judiciary due to frequent delays in justice delivery and decisions perceived to be influenced by bias or external interests.
"In parallel, our judiciary—meant to be the bedrock of fairness and order—is under intense scrutiny. Concerns about delayed justice, procedural inefficiencies, and in some cases, judicial compromise (to put the matter delicately), erode public confidence," El-Rufai stated.
The former governor particularly criticized the increasing use of ex parte orders in political matters, accusing some legal practitioners of manipulating the court system for political advantage.
"The rise in 'forum shopping,' the weaponisation of ex parte orders in political matters, and the growing perception that justice is for sale and available only to the rich and the powerful would cause the perceptive observer to conclude that what Nigerian courts do is the administration of law and not the administration of justice," he added.
In his most pointed criticism, El-Rufai argued that there exists an "unbridgeable gulf between law and justice" in Nigeria, asserting that the judiciary has become subservient to the executive arm of government.
"In Nigeria, there is a seemingly unbridgeable gulf between law and justice. Not only is justice wanting, but the law that is administered seems to be according to the wishes of the Executive," El-Rufai emphasized.
The former governor called on legal practitioners to engage in "sober introspection" and recommit themselves to upholding impartial justice, questioning whether "Justitia is blind" and whether "she holds the scales of justice in fine balance."
El-Rufai's comments come amid ongoing debates about judicial independence and integrity in Nigeria, where the judiciary has faced criticism over controversial rulings in political cases and allegations of corruption.
