Nigerians losing confidence in judicial system, says Ex-Lawmaker

Former Chairman of, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Umar Dahiru, has said that Nigerians have lost confidence in the ability of the nation’s judicial system to deliver justice.

Speaking at the presentation of the book, “When Justice Sleeps: Burning Issues and Crisis in Administration of Justice in Nigeria”, by Matthew Osita Okeke, which was organized in collaboration with the Caritas Nigeria, Dahiru frowned that cases linger in court for many years, thereby making real the popular cliché that justice delayed is justice denied.”

The former lawmaker observed that corruption, ethnicity and religion among others pose, major obstacles to quick justice dispensation in Nigeria. He said the book was coming at the right time when Nigerians are seeking justice on electoral issues during the February and March elections.

Dahiru lamented that justice is ‘sleeping’ in Nigeria, a metaphoric description of Nigerians losing confidence in the Country’s judiciary system.

He said: “This book could not have come at a more appropriate time than now as the entire apparatus of the Nigerian justice system seems to have “slept” indeed. Let us look around, most Nigerians have lost confidence in our judicial system to deliver justice. Cases linger in court for years endlessly, making real the popular cliché, “justice delayed is justice denied.”

Adding: “Recently, the statement, “Go to Court” in the context it has been used in recent times appears to have become a tool of oppression as those issuing the advice are impliedly admitting and acknowledging the blatant ignominious lack of justice in Nigeria’s judicial system – when justice sleeps”

Also speaking, the author of the book, Matthew Okeke, said that the nation’s judicial system is not responding to the needs of the citizens and that this was causing serious discontent among the populace.

He said: “The [judicial]system is not working well. It is not responding to the needs of the people and that is causing a serious discontent among the populace.

“This statement is not meant to indict anybody or the institution but rather, for us to reflect on the system we are operating and see how we can improve on it so that it responds to the needs of the citizens. From what we hear and see on a daily basis, all of us should not feel at home or be happy about it. Justice can still be resurrected.

“All it takes to start working well, serving our needs is for us to adjust by attitudes and also by-laws. Some of our laws need to be amended. Some of the attitudes need to change. In fact, I must say generally that the attention we give to issues of justice is not adequate”, Okeke insisted.