…Seeks 37-Judge anti-corruption Court, six-week case deadline

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) is battling a backlog of about 1,037 cases, some of which have remained unresolved for between five and 10 years, even as its leadership pushes for the establishment of a 37-judge National Anti-Corruption Court to conclude corruption cases within six weeks.

The proposed court, according to the Tribunal, would have seven judicial divisions across Nigeria and operate under a summary trial procedure requiring cases to be dispensed with within six weeks of arraignment.

The proposal is part of reforms being pursued by the Chairman of the CCT, Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar, who assumed office on January 20, 2025.

The Tribunal said the proposed legislation would transform the CCT into a full-fledged National Anti-Corruption Court with jurisdiction to handle corruption cases brought by anti-graft and public accountability institutions.

Under the proposal, agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Public Complaints Commission (PCC) and National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), as well as civil society organisations, would be able to prosecute cases before the court.

The proposed legislation is being pursued through the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation for presentation to the National Assembly as an Executive Bill.

The plan is coming against the background of the 1,037 pending cases inherited by the present leadership, with the Tribunal saying many had been left unresolved for between five and 10 years.

The Chairman subsequently directed that the cases be returned to the CCB for thorough scrutiny to determine which should proceed, while the Tribunal awaits the Bureau’s response.

The Tribunal said the move was necessary to separate cases that could proceed from those requiring further action before adjudication.

At the same time, the leadership has introduced a faster approach to newly filed cases.

According to the Tribunal, the Chairman directed that cases filed by the CCB should be brought before the Tribunal within one week.

“Within a week of filing any case by the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Chairman directs the Tribunal to sit and dispense with it immediately,” the Tribunal stated.

It added that, as of July 10, 2026, when the Tribunal proceeded on its annual vacation, there was no unattended case filed by the Bureau on its record.

The Tribunal disclosed that six cases were filed before it in the 2025/2026 period, involving allegations including failure to declare assets and property, conflict of interest, running businesses while in public office and failure to declare council accounts.

It also said it had granted orders for the freezing of accounts belonging to individuals and companies, as well as temporary forfeiture of assets, in some cases instituted by the CCB.

To further modernise its procedures, the Tribunal has drafted new Practice Directions to replace the existing rules, which it said were outdated and did not adequately incorporate key provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act.

The draft has been submitted to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Chairman of the CCB, Attorney-General of the Federation and Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation for review and input.

The Tribunal also said it had strengthened collaboration with key judicial and legal institutions, including the National Judicial Institute, with staff benefiting from specialised training programmes.

Other reforms include the creation of seven new departments, bringing the total to 10, implementation of outstanding staff promotions, introduction of 13 new allowances and participation by staff in more than 20 capacity-building programmes within one year.

The leadership also reported recovering two of three estate properties belonging to the Tribunal which it said had been illegally sold.

The recovered properties include the official residence of the Chairman and the North-Eastern States Zonal Office in Bauchi.

However, the Tribunal identified inadequate funding as a major challenge, saying it hardly receives the full N2 billion budget allocated to it by the government.

It also cited inadequate housing and official vehicles for the Chairman and directors, as jwell as shortages of furniture, ICT equipment and funding for staff capacity building.