The Nigerian Judiciary: A Sordid Saga of Technicalities Over Justice.
The Nigerian judiciary, once revered as the last bastion of hope for justice, now stands as a putrid cesspool of deceit and betrayal. Its grotesque transformation into a court of technicalities rather than a temple of justice is a grotesque betrayal of the trust the Nigerian people have bestowed upon it. The court has shamelessly evolved into a grotesque bazaar where justice is auctioned off to the highest bidder, trampling on the principles it was sworn to uphold.
This once-honorable institution, now plagued by the stench of corruption, has cast aside the sacred duty of impartiality and fairness. The scales of justice have been tainted and distorted, weighed not by evidence and righteousness but by the wads of tainted currency stuffed into the pockets of those who don the robes of justice.
No longer is the verdict determined by the merits of the case, but by the conniving machinations of cunning lawyers exploiting legal loopholes and exploiting arcane technicalities. Truth and justice have become mere footnotes in the annals of the Nigerian judiciary, replaced by a sordid obsession with obscure legal jargon and labyrinthine procedures.
The honorable profession of law has been desecrated by those who were meant to be its guardians. The supposed “pillars of justice” have crumbled under the weight of their own avarice, staining the sanctity of their vocation with the indelible marks of venality and treachery.
Even the Supreme Court, once revered as the epitome of impartiality, has lost its luster and succumbed to the murky depths of moral decay. The bench that was meant to symbolize the pinnacle of justice now stands as a caricature of itself, rendering judgments that confound reason and defy common sense.
The camaraderie between judges and politicians, celebrated in both secrecy and open social gatherings, is a grotesque mockery of justice. The purported guardians of justice hobnobbing with the very individuals they are meant to adjudicate against is a vile betrayal of their oath and a slap in the face of every Nigerian seeking justice.
The Nigerian judiciary has become a marketplace of souls, where the gavel is wielded not as a symbol of truth but as a tool of subjugation. The poor and downtrodden, already crushed under the weight of societal inequalities, are further crushed under the boot of a judiciary that shows no mercy for the voiceless and defenseless.
The relentless focus on technicalities, rather than the merits of cases, has sown seeds of doubt and disillusionment among the Nigerian populace. The trust that was once the cornerstone of the judiciary’s power has eroded, leaving behind nothing but a smoldering heap of broken dreams and shattered hope.
To salvage what little remains of its integrity, the Nigerian judiciary must undergo a complete and unflinching overhaul. A rigorous purge of corrupt elements must be carried out, and mechanisms to ensure the accountability of judges must be put in place.
A judiciary that has lost its moral compass cannot serve as the beacon of justice for a nation in desperate need of salvation. The Nigerian people deserve better than this abomination that stands before them, masquerading as the symbol of justice. Only when the fetters of corruption and technicalities are broken can the judiciary reclaim its lost honor and emerge as the embodiment of true justice it was destined to be.
Maye Patricks, Esq., a disillusioned Nigerian writes from Abuja.
