•Bakare calls for judicial reforms, says corrupt justice system keeps country down
•Don recommends death penalty for corruption convicts
The trial of former governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, over alleged N110.4 billion fraud witnessed the presentation of additional bank records by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) before the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, yesterday.
This was as the Serving Overseer of Citadel Global Community Church, Tunde Bakare, called for urgent personal and institutional reforms to address “entrenched corruption” within Nigeria’s justice sector.
Meanwhile, Rector of Kogi State Polytechnic, Lokoja, Salisu Usman, recommended capital punishment for those found guilty of corruption.
Bello is standing trial alongside Umar Oricha and Abdulsalami Hudu on 16 charges bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering. The case is being heard by Justice MaryAnne Anenih.
At the resumed proceedings, the prosecution, led by Kemi Pinheiro (SAN), continued the cross-examination of the sixth Prosecution Witness (PW6), Mashelia Bata, a compliance officer with Zenith Bank. Defence counsel to the first and second defendants, Joseph Daudu (SAN), questioned the witness on entries contained in Exhibit S1, a statement of account earlier tendered in evidence.
PW6 explained that the “description” column in the statement reflected details of transactions, citing entries including a N10 million cheque issued to Hudu on January 20, 2016, and another cheque payment of N2,454,400 to Halims Hotels and Tours, Lokoja. The witness, however, maintained that he did not know the purposes for which the funds were used.
Daudu also drew the witness’ attention to Exhibit X1, identified as the account opening documents of a company account domiciled at Zenith Bank’s Lokoja branch. The witness testified on many inflows and outflows in December 2016, including a N74.37 million credit from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service and cheque of N10 million to Mohammed Jami’u Sallau.
The prosecution also called PW8, Gabriel Ocha, a compliance officer with FCMB, who tendered documents relating to Kunfayakun Global Limited covering 2018 to 2024.
He testified on transactions including a N30 million debit to the American International School and several N10 million web transfers and NIBSS inflows on November 1, 2021.
Thereafter, PW9, A.D. Ojoma, a compliance officer with Sterling Bank, tendered the statement of account of Bespoke Business Solutions Limited. He identified several large credit entries, including payments from the Kogi State Internal Revenue Service running into hundreds of millions of naira in 2019.
Justice Anenih adjourned the matter till Friday, January 16, 2026, for continuation of trial.
The lawyer-turned pastor warned that the continued integrity deficit among judges and lawyers has turned the justice system into a “haven of corruption,” cautioning that without deliberate ethical reforms, the country risks remaining in perpetual bondage.
Bakare made the call while delivering the keynote at the 22nd Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture (Fawehinmism), organised by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Ikeja Branch, with the theme, ‘Integrity Deficiency in the Justice Sector: Whither the Legal Profession’.
He lamented that many judges now view the bench as a “work-chop”, pointing to political interference in judicial appointments and the prevalence of conflicting court judgments as some of the major challenges confronting the sector.
According to him, lawyers and judges must return to the principles of “ethical lawyering”, founded on contentment, patience and diligence, stressing that members of the legal profession remain the primary custodians and defenders of the rule of law.
Bakare argued that genuine reform must begin with personal transformation, starting from the training stage of aspiring lawyers. He said ethical values should be deliberately instilled in Law students, universities and the Nigerian Law School, with stronger emphasis on professional responsibility and integrity in legal education.
The Rector, who is a professor of Political Science, also advocated that corrupt practices should be rated as a capital offence in Nigeria’s legal system, to discourage people from embarking on the negative trend which has caused havoc, devastating effects and setbacks for the nation’s growth.
Usman made the call while delivering the 37th Inaugural Lecture Series of the Federal University, Lokoja, yesterday, at its Adankolo Campus.
The rector, in his lecture entitled ‘Corruption Versus Corruption: Unpacking The Wuru-Wuru of the Anti-Corruption Crusade In Nigeria’, lamented the menace of corruption in Nigeria’s political and socio-economic landscape.
According to Usman, the time has come for the Federal Government to tackle the issue, which he said has battered the country’s global image.
He noted that the manifestation of corruption in Nigeria was a result of scarcity of living essentials (including clean water), which creates fertile ground for corruption. Basic amenities like boreholes become “democracy dividends” used for political leverage.
In his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University, Lokoja, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi, disclosed that “the inaugural lecture is a major tradition of the system that provides our professors the opportunity to share the fruits of years of teaching, research and reflection.”
