President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the judiciary to dismantle procedural loopholes and flawed prosecution strategies exploited by politically exposed persons and organised crime actors to delay or frustrate trials.
President Tinubu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja during the annual EFCC/NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Judges and Justices. He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.
This is contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Stanley Nkwocha, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications, Office of the Vice President.
He said the Bench must probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents and seal procedural gaps that allow criminals to evade justice, warning that the nation must no longer permit legal pyrotechnics and procedural pedantry to shelter criminality.
“The Bench is not merely a mechanical arbiter of rules, but an active guardian of moral order and social equity. Law is, by design, an instrument of social engineering; it must invariably prioritise the public good over narrow, selfish interests shielded by technical manoeuvres. Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law,” he said.
The President said corruption cannot be uprooted without an independent, progressive and reform-minded Bench, stressing that financial and economic crimes pose an existential threat to Nigeria and that framing anti-corruption as purely an executive agenda is a fundamental error.
He urged the judiciary to adapt to shifting dynamics of financial crime driven by blockchain technology and artificial intelligence, noting that the EFCC’s recent momentum in tackling cryptocurrency fraud, including recovery of billions of naira, $22,417.91 worth of Bitcoin, 1,001,301.87 USDT and $5.6 million linked to the CBEX scheme, and the prosecution and deportation of 192 foreigners for cyber-terrorism and cryptocurrency fraud in 2025, shows a proactive agency that must be complemented by the judiciary.
He pledged executive support to equip the judiciary to meet demands of justice delivery in the digital age.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the 8th edition of the workshop reflects commitment of the NJI and EFCC to address challenges in the justice system, adding that effective administration of criminal justice in the digital era requires firm case management and sustained judicial education.
Senate Committee Chairman on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, said the workshop was timely given sophistication of financial crimes involving politically exposed persons, assuring of National Assembly’s support through proactive legislation.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, urged synergy among stakeholders, saying one arm of government cannot effectively tackle corruption alone.
The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, said the collaboration has become integral to tackling financial crimes, while EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, described the event as a national imperative and said the Commission has recorded unprecedented convictions and financial recoveries in the past three years, though digital innovation is fast outpacing legal instruments.
