Many Nigerians view the country’s judiciary as corrupt, inaccessible, and vulnerable to political interference, according to a new report by the Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre).
The report, titled, ‘Voices for Justice: A Civic Lens on Nigeria’s Judicial System – Documenting Public Experiences, Opinions, and Reform Demands,’ was launched on Tuesday in Lagos by HEDA.
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The report marks the fifth edition of the organisation’s Leadership Approval Rating (LAR) series.
Presented by the Executive Secretary, Sulaimon Arigbabu, the report is based on a nationwide survey of 1,357 respondents across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
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According to Mr Arigbabu, the findings paint a stark picture of how citizens experience and perceive the justice system.
“Young people are clearly engaged, with 57 per cent of respondents aged between 18 and 35,” he said. “Yet, 50 per cent of participants said they had never interacted with the courts. Only 12.6 per cent rated the judiciary as highly accessible, while 36.5 per cent described accessibility as very low.”
The report said when court interaction did occur, it was mostly for administrative purposes such as obtaining affidavits or resolving land disputes rather than for seeking substantive justice.
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The report also revealed troubling trends in judicial integrity. Nearly half (49 per cent) of court users admitted to paying or “sorting” court officials, while 65.4 per cent described judicial corruption as high or extremely high.
Only 42.3 per cent of respondents believed court decisions were based on merit, citing persistent delays and perceived bias. Trust in legal professionals was similarly low, with 64 per cent saying lawyers contribute to judicial corruption and just 29 per cent viewing judges as impartial.
Additionally, 62 per cent of respondents felt judges were breaching judicial ethics by failing to “remain heard and not seen.”
Political and high-profile cases were also flagged as areas of concern. About 63.4 per cent of respondents believed such cases expose judges to corruption, while 48.9 per cent said these cases were prioritised at the expense of ordinary matters—contributing to prolonged delays in accessing justice.
Financial autonomy
Although 59 per cent agreed that financial autonomy had moderately improved judicial independence, only 17 per cent expressed trust in the National Judicial Council (NJC) to discipline erring judges.
While the financial autonomy of the judiciary has improved considerably, the independence has not been matched with transparency and accountability.
More than 70 per cent of respondents said they did not know how to report judicial misconduct.
In 2022, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami challenged the Nigerian judiciary to be transparent and accountable in the spending of the funds allocated to it in its annual budgets.
“Why is the N104 billion provided for the judiciary in the budget insufficient?,” the justice minister asked rhetorically.
“We are not in a position to answer, because their (judiciary’s) books are not open,” the AGF said while speaking at a summit on the theme, ‘Devising practical solutions towards improved performance, enhanced accountability and independence in the justice sector.’
Besides budget accountability, the Nigerian judiciary has been ranked low consistently in the “Corruption in Nigeria: Patterns and Trends”reports jointly issued by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
But the judiciary, through the NJC, has pushed back against the assessment suggesting pervasive corruption and bribe-taking in the arm of government.
In 2017, the NJC said in response to the UNODC-NBS report that year, “The question that should agitate the minds of the people is the criteria used by the UNODC and the NBS to measure the level of bribe-taking in the Judiciary to grade it as the second largest receiver of bribe.
“For instance, what is the percentage of judges caught receiving bribe out of a total number of 1,059 judges in both the federal and state judiciaries?
“What is the percentage of magistrates caught taking bribe from an estimated total number of 4,000 in the country?”
HEDA report also indicates that courts were also seen as complicit in rights violations. Sixty per cent of respondents accused the judiciary of enabling police abuse and imposing bail conditions that infringe on individual rights.
To address these concerns, respondents called for far-reaching reforms. These include full judicial autonomy, improved pay and security for judges, stronger anti-corruption enforcement, and greater transparency through measures like livestreamed court proceedings and the use of body-worn cameras.
The report also recommended legal literacy campaigns to educate the public about the judicial process and their rights.
Other comments
Representing HEDA’s Executive Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, Mr Arigbabu described the report’s findings as “sobering,” stressing the urgent need to restore public confidence in the judiciary.
“This report underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring that public institutions remain answerable to the people they serve,” he said.
“Allegations of corruption, inefficiency, and political interference have significantly eroded public trust. This is not abstract—it is the lived reality of millions who turn to the courts.”
He emphasised that the recommendations in the report were not optional but imperative. “They include leveraging technology for transparency, reforming the NJC, and fostering professionalism within the legal system.”
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Speaking with journalists at the report’s launch, HEDA’s Senior Programme Consultant, Sina Odugbemi, highlighted the role of civic actors in driving reform.
“We all must stand up. Corruption is everywhere, and we must expose it,” he said. “Even the media can do more. We need investigative journalism that goes beyond surface-level reporting.”
In a separate interview, Mr Arigbabu added that many issues plaguing the judiciary could be resolved without new policies or funding.
“The judiciary itself must take deliberate steps. Judges should reduce unnecessary adjournments, and magistrates must ensure that remand orders are reviewed on time,” he said, adding, “Many solutions lie in better application of existing rules. This is a mirror held up to power—we must listen to citizens if we are serious about reforming justice in Nigeria.”
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