HURIWA, the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, has ascribed corruption in the judiciary to undue influence exerted by the executive arm of government under President Bola Tinubu.
HURIWA’s reference to judicial corruption by the executive followed the recent disclosure by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike, who announced plans to build 10 houses for Justices of the Appeal Court, 20 FCT High Court and 10 for Federal High Court.
It will be recalled West Africa Weekly reported following the Federal Executive Council meeting on September 24, 2024. The FCT Minister stated the houses would be built in the Katampe District, an area in the affluent neighbourhood of Abuja.
In light of this, HURIWA opposed the move, citing a “blatant” example of the executive’s political capture of the judiciary arm of government.
This is a dangerous precedent. When judges are gifted lands and houses by the executive, a conflict of interest compromises their independence. The allocation of Abuja lands as political patronage to judges is a trap designed to ensure their loyalty to the executive, HURIWA warned in a statement signed by Emmanuel Onwubiko, its National Coordinator.
The human rights group further cited cases of judicial interference abrupting democratic processes, including manipulating internal party affairs and conflicting rulings by concurrent jurisdiction courts.
The judiciary should be the last hope of the commoner, not a tool for politicians to disrupt governance and elections,” the statement read.
HURIWA also called on the legislative arm of government (National Assembly) to “urgently” pass legislation prohibiting judges from accepting such “perks” from the executive.
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