A Barrel of Rotten Apples

The problems of the judicial system in Nigeria predate both the government of President Muhammadu Buhari and even this current republic. However, under President Buhari’s watch, the performance of the judiciary as an institution of government has worsened and become an impediment to citizens’ rights and our democracy.

The government has significantly contributed to the decline in public confidence towards the judiciary by regularly disobeying court orders and by using national security and anti-corruption as excuses. Reportedly, the Buhari administration has ignored more than 40 different court judgements that it considered hostile to its political agenda. Some of the most important among these include the refusal of the State Security Services to comply with four successive orders of various courts, including the ECOWAS Court, that granted bail to former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki. The same pattern occurred in the case of Sheikh el-Zak Zaky, the head of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria, an Iranian-inspired Shia group. El-Zak Zaky was in police custody between 2015 and July 2021, when he was eventually acquitted by a trial court. If the government that has sworn to uphold the constitution and respect the independence of all arms of government actively ignores judicial decisions, how much respect and restraint, can be expected from private citizens?