CJN Ariwoola Warns Judges Against Mob Rule In Nigeria

ABUJA, (iexclusivenews) The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kayode Ariwoola, has advised judicial officers in the country to uphold the rule of law and not to be swayed by “public opinions, sentiments or emotions” in delivering justice.

The CJN made this remark on Monday in response to the backlash and condemnation that followed some Court of Appeal judgments on governorship and National Assembly election petitions in the past two weeks, which sparked protests and calls for a probe of some judges for alleged corruption.

CJN Ariwoola was speaking at the opening of the special session of the 2023/2024 legal year and the swearing-in of 58 newly conferred Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), where he urged judges to be firm and honest.

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He said, “I expect every judicial officer to work very hard and also be very honest and courteous to the litigants, witnesses and members of the bar, and discharge all your judicial functions with all the humility at your command.

“Even while doing this, it is still necessary to have at the back of your minds that public opinions, sentiments or emotions can never take the place of the law in deciding the cases that come before you.

“The law remains the law, no matter whose interest is involved. In all we do, as interpreters of the law, we should endeavour to severe the strings of emotion from logic and assumption from fact.

“We should never be overwhelmed by the actions or loud voices of the mob or crowd and now begin to confuse law with sentiment or something else in deciding our cases.

“Nevertheless, unnecessary and unwarranted utterances are bound to embarrass not only others, but the Judge himself; thus what should be asked, should be asked, and what should not be asked, should be avoided.”

The CJN pledged his commitment to safeguard the rule of law, the holistic independence of the judiciary and the trust and confidence of the public.

CJN Ariwoola Assures Of Full Complement Of 21 Justices In The Supreme Court Soon

The CJN further assured that soon the apex court would enjoy its full complement of 21 justices to break the jinx of its inability to meet the constitutional requirement.

He disclosed that the efforts of the Corruption and Financial Crime Cases Trial Monitoring Committee (COTRIMCO), which was inaugurated in 2018 by the former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice W.S.A Onnoghen, to fast-track the trial of corruption and financial related crimes in the country, has seen the 10 convictions by the ICPC and 1,094 by the EFCC in the 2022/2023 period.