El-Rufai Alleges Corruption Within Judiciary, Cites Decline In Public Confidence

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has leveled serious accusations against the Nigerian judiciary, alleging widespread corruption and a breakdown of public trust in the justice system.

Speaking on Monday, May 19, 2025, at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Bwari Branch Law Week in Abuja, El-Rufai expressed deep concern over what he described as judicial compromise, procedural inefficiencies, and a growing perception that justice in Nigeria is no longer impartial.

“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,” he said.

El-Rufai criticized the rising misuse of ex parte orders in politically sensitive cases, claiming that some legal practitioners manipulate the system for personal or political gain.

“The rise in forum shopping, the weaponization 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 stated.

He further argued that the judiciary is becoming increasingly subservient to the executive branch, leading to a disconnect between legal procedures and actual justice.

“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 said.

Calling on members of the legal profession to reflect on their ethical responsibilities, the former governor urged lawyers to recommit themselves to upholding the integrity of the justice system.

“The demand on you, as practitioners in the Temple of Justice, is a sober introspection as you contemplate whether indeed Justitia is blind and whether she holds the scales of justice in fine balance,” he concluded.

El-Rufai’s remarks come at a time of heightened public debate over the credibility of Nigeria’s legal institutions and the role of the judiciary in political affairs.