A fresh storm has engulfed Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture as the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and over 75 civil society organisations (CSOs) under the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) raise the alarm over what they described as a “grave threat to judicial independence and democratic accountability.”
In a strongly worded joint press statement signed by Comrade James Ezema, Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the CNPP, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, National Secretary of the CNCSOs, the coalition expressed “profound alarm and unequivocal condemnation” over revelations that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) allegedly spent N54 million sponsoring five Nigerian judges on an overseas trip to London, United Kingdom.
EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale defended the trip, stating the judges were nominated by the Chief Justice of Nigeria to enhance their understanding of financial crimes.
However, the CSOs warned that the development, if left unchecked, “poses a direct assault on the doctrine of separation of powers and the constitutional guarantee of judicial independence.”
It stressed that the EFCC, as a prosecutorial agency, regularly appears before judicial officers and therefore “any financial relationship, direct or indirect, between such an agency and members of the judiciary raises unavoidable questions of conflict of interest, institutional compromise, and potential judicial bias.”
Reacting to the EFCC’s defence that the trip was for capacity building, the coalition dismissed the justification as inadequate, declaring that it “does little to assuage the grave concerns raised.” The statement went further to caution that such an explanation “compounds the issue by normalising a dangerous precedent where an investigative and prosecutorial body assumes the role of benefactor to judicial officers before whom it appears in adversarial proceedings.”
Describing the situation as “not only ethically questionable but institutionally indefensible,” the coalition insisted that even claims that the judges were nominated by the Chief Justice of Nigeria do not resolve the core issue. “The central issue remains that the EFCC funded the trip. In any credible democratic system, such financial engagements between the bench and a litigating agency would be considered improper and unacceptable,” the statement emphasised.
The CNPP and CNCSOs also took a swipe at the EFCC’s reaction to the controversy, characterising it as dismissive.
According to the coalition, “instead of demonstrating sensitivity to public perception and the imperative of institutional integrity, the Commission has chosen a path of self-justification that undermines accountability. This posture is unacceptable.”
Placing the controversy within a broader political context, the statement noted that the EFCC has in recent years faced accusations of selective enforcement and alleged weaponisation against opposition figures. It warned that “the notion that the same agency is financially sponsoring judicial officers introduces a dangerous dimension to concerns about fairness, neutrality, and the integrity of judicial outcomes in politically sensitive cases.”
Significantly, the coalition signalled imminent institutional action, putting key oversight bodies on notice. It disclosed that it is “actively considering formally invoking the constitutional and statutory oversight powers” of institutions including the National Judicial Council (NJC), the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), the National Assembly, and the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to investigate the matter.
The statement made it clear that the issue would not be ignored, declaring: “This matter will not be swept under the carpet.” It revealed that an emergency Central Working Committee meeting scheduled for the weekend would determine the next course of action, including “the approval of a comprehensive petition and the activation of all necessary legal and civic mechanisms to ensure accountability and institutional discipline.”
Reinforcing its position, the coalition underscored the centrality of judicial integrity to Nigeria’s democracy. “Nigeria’s democracy cannot survive on compromised institutions. The judiciary must not only be independent but must be seen to be independent. Any conduct capable of eroding that perception must be firmly resisted,” it stated.
The group also issued a direct demand to the EFCC for transparency, insisting on “full disclosure… on the details of this expenditure, the identities of the beneficiaries, the selection process, and the legal basis for such sponsorship,” warning that “anything short of this will reinforce public suspicion and deepen institutional distrust.”
The statement reiterated the coalition’s commitment to “defending democratic norms, safeguarding the rule of law, and ensuring that no institution, no matter how powerful, operates above scrutiny.”
