Legal practitioners across Nigeria are calling for sweeping reforms in the country’s judicial system as prolonged trials and delayed prosecutions continue to threaten public confidence and the rule of law.
Several prominent lawyers have expressed frustration over the persistent backlog of court cases, particularly the extended pre-trial detention of suspects, warning that the situation poses a significant threat to justice delivery and societal stability.
In a recent meeting with the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, identified poor investigative procedures and delayed prosecution as the main culprits behind prison overcrowding and prolonged trials.
She urged law enforcement agencies to complete thorough investigations before filing charges, stressing that weak cases often lead to dismissals due to insufficient evidence. The CJN also called for improved synergy between the police, the Ministry of Justice, and the judiciary to ensure timely and effective case handling.
Justice Kekere-Ekun further criticized the failure of some agencies to obey court orders, noting that such conduct undermines the authority of the judiciary and erodes public trust in the justice system.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Abdul Balogun, echoed the CJN’s concerns, describing the delays as a “ticking time bomb.” He warned that failure to urgently address the problem could result in serious disruptions to law and order.
“We must stop pretending all is well. Delayed trials not only compromise the justice system but have also led to wrongful convictions,” Balogun said. “Innocent people are suffering because justice is delayed—and often denied.”
U.S.-based human rights lawyer and founder of the United States Law Group, Mr. Emmanuel Ogebe, shared a harrowing account of one of his clients, Sunday Jackson, who spent ten years on death row after being convicted for the death of a herdsman during a 2015 altercation. Ogebe said Jackson lost his family, home, and future due to the lengthy legal ordeal.
“When I met him after seven years, he didn’t know his wife had given birth to their second child. He didn’t know his wife had left—and later died. Even if he were freed, what would he return to? Now, the Supreme Court has sealed his fate,” Ogebe lamented.
Another lawyer, Suleiman Ale, called for immediate action from judicial leaders to address systemic flaws, pointing out that the poor are the hardest hit by delays in the legal process.
“The wealthy can afford to fast-track their cases, but the poor often languish in custody for years,” he said.
Recent data show that a majority of Nigeria’s prison population consists of awaiting-trial inmates—many of whom have spent years in detention without a single court appearance due to administrative bottlenecks.