Ojudu raises alarm over deepening judicial corruption in hard-hitting commentary By Babafemi Ojudu

Veteran journalist and former presidential adviser, Babafemi Ojudu, has delivered one of the strongest critiques yet of Nigeria’s justice system, recounting an episode he says illustrates how deeply corruption has penetrated the nation’s courts.

In the wide-circulating essay titled “How They Buy the Judges And Break the Country,” Ojudu warns that Nigeria was approaching a point where public confidence in the judiciary could collapse entirely, with dire consequences for democracy and national stability.

Ojudu began by lamenting what he describes as Nigeria’s increasingly surreal public life events that defy logic, integrity and morality, yet play out openly in politics and governance.

He argued that recent conflicting court orders over the Peoples Democratic Party convention, issued by courts in Abuja and Ibadan, reflect a judiciary vulnerable to influence rather than guided by law.

He also links the recent confrontation between Minister Nyesom Wike and a naval officer in Abuja to a widespread loss of faith in judicial remedies, leading individuals to resort to self-help in disputes.

The heart of Ojudu’s commentary is a story from several years ago involving the late Senator Buruji Kashamu.

According to Ojudu, he was invited to Lagos for what he believed would be a discussion on a political disagreement in Ekiti State.

What he witnessed instead, he said, left him shaken.

He recounts that during the meeting, Kashamu produced a briefcase allegedly containing already-drafted judgments for matters in court, as well as judgments he hoped to secure in future cases.

Ojudu claims the late senator boasted about his ability to channel cases to judges who would accept these pre-written verdicts.

Ojudu says he left the meeting “deeply troubled,” arguing that such practices, if widespread, could destroy the very foundation of justice in the country.

To underscore the gravity of his concern, Ojudu cites legal maxims on the centrality of trust in judicial institutions.

He invokes Lord Denning’s famous warning that justice must be rooted in public confidence, and that confidence evaporates when citizens believe judges are biased.

He describes judicial corruption as uniquely destructive because it undermines both the credibility of the courts and the very idea of fairness in society.

Ojudu outlined several dangers he believes Nigeria faces if the judiciary continues on its current trajectory:Innocent people may suffer when verdicts depend on influence rather than facts, powerful offenders gain immunity, emboldened by their ability to manipulate outcomes, politics becomes a battlefield of court orders, with election victories decided by financial muscle rather than voters, public trust collapses, pushing citizens toward self-help and deepening social disorder among others.

He argued that the erosion of judicial integrity has been gradual, enabled by politicians seeking shortcuts, lawyers willing to compromise ethical boundaries, and judges who succumb to financial inducements.

This, he said, has created a marketplace for judgments where influence replaces argument and verdicts circulate like contraband.

Ojudu proposed sweeping reforms, including transparent case assignments, stronger disciplinary mechanisms, digital court processes, protection for reform-minded judges, and strict enforcement of asset declarations.

He insisted that the judiciary must purge itself of compromised officials to regain public trust.

He added that judicial officers must remember the weight of their responsibilities, noting that a corrupt judge poses a deeper threat to society than any common criminal.

Ojudu closes with a stark warning: no nation can survive the collapse of its justice system.

If Nigerians lose faith in the courts, he argues, the country risks descending into lawlessness and authoritarianism.

“Until justice is restored,” he writes, “Nigeria will continue to stagger like a giant stripped of its backbone.”