The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, has argued that the judiciary is not to blame for the corruption cases lost in court recently by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other agencies.
Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja on Tuesday, Onnoghen urged Nigerians to stop judging the judiciary’s performance in the ongoing anti-corruption fight on the basis of the recently lost cases.
“I have told you that if you are not satisfied, the system is fashioned and designed in such a way that if you lose in the magistrate court and you are not satisfied; because someone must win and another must lose; so the loser has the chance of testing the decision on appeal.
“When it comes to the judiciary, don’t be judgmental. When you are judgmental, you become prejudice,” he said.
Asked to respond to the allegation of judicial gang-up against the anti-graft crusade, Onnoghen said, “I am not going to speculate. I am lawyer and judicial officer. I operate on facts and the law. So, I can’t answer that question because I am not on everybody’s mind.
“You are free to think whatever you want to think but I think you should be guided by facts and the law when it comes to judicial performance or discharge of judicial responsibilities.”
The CJN disputed the argument that the corruption war is losing steam.
He said if there was any steam, it would not have been without the contribution of the judiciary and if there is losing of steam, it should not be blamed entirely on the judiciary.
