Bakare Blasts ‘Cash-and-Carry’ Judiciary

The founder of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has delivered a blistering indictment of the Nigerian judiciary, describing the third arm of government as an institution currently drowning in a sea of corruption and ethical compromise. Speaking with the fervor of both a cleric and a former legal practitioner, Bakare addressed a captivated audience at the 22nd Chief Gani Fawehinmi Annual Lecture, themed “Integrity Deficiency in the Justice Sector: Whither the Legal Profession?” During his address, he lamented that the very pillar meant to uphold the rule of law has been transformed into a commercial hub where favorable judgments are auctioned off to the highest bidder.

Bakare’s allegations were supported by chilling statistics drawn from the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) Nigeria Corruption Index. He pointed to a report revealing that between 2018 and 2020, an estimated ₦3.7 billion was offered as bribes to judicial officers, a figure that highlights the staggering scale of financial influence within the temple of justice. This data, he argued, is not just a collection of numbers but a reflection of a systemic erosion of the professional norms that once made the Nigerian legal profession a beacon of hope for the common man.

The clergyman particularly focused on the complicity of legal practitioners and administrative staff in this decay. He noted with dismay that according to available data, lawyers and court officials were responsible for over 70 percent of falsified court documents. This revelation paints a picture of a justice system where the process is rigged long before a case even reaches the bench. For Bakare, this suggests that a frightening proportion of modern Nigerian lawyers have lost confidence in their intellectual ability to argue cases, opting instead for backroom deals and fraudulent maneuvers to secure victories for their clients.

In one of the most stinging portions of his speech, Bakare utilized a popular local parlance to describe the mindset of certain members of the bench. He remarked that many judges now view their prestigious positions through the lens of a “work-chop” mentality—a colloquialism implying that they see their professional workspace primarily as a place to feed their personal greed. By suggesting that “where they work is where they chop,” Bakare highlighted a shift from public service to self-service, where the sacred duty of adjudication has been replaced by the pursuit of illicit wealth and political favor.

The pastor warned that the judiciary is currently facing its darkest hour, as political influence, bribery, and the practice of selective justice continue to undermine democracy. He cautioned that if the judiciary fails to function as an independent and impartial arbiter, the entire structure of the Nigerian state is at risk of collapse. He argued that the current state of affairs has led to a total loss of public trust, leaving citizens with the impression that the legal system is a tool for the elite to oppress the weak rather than a shield for the innocent.

Drawing from his own history, Bakare invoked the memory of his former mentor, the late legal icon Chief Gani Fawehinmi. He recalled his days as a young law student at the University of Lagos and his subsequent time at Gani’s chambers, where he worked as a research assistant. Bakare used the life of the “Senior Advocate of the Masses” as a yardstick to measure the current crop of legal professionals. He emphasized that Fawehinmi’s career was defined by an unwavering commitment to punctuality, diligence, and, most importantly, a fierce sense of responsibility toward the truth.

Bakare argued that the values of diligence and integrity are fundamentally inseparable. He contended that lawyers who resort to cutting corners or bribing judges are often those who lack the intellectual rigor required to properly research their cases and construct foolproof arguments. In his view, the decline in judicial integrity is inextricably linked to a decline in professional competence. When a lawyer cannot win on the merits of the law, they turn to the currency of corruption, and when a judge is willing to receive, the cycle of decay is completed.

The cleric’s call for a return to the “Gani Fawehinmi standard” was a plea for a radical moral revolution within the Nigerian Bar Association and the Bench. He urged legal practitioners to rediscover the courage to “cross swords” in open court based on the strength of their legal scholarship rather than the depth of their pockets. He reminded the audience that the late Fawehinmi never needed to bribe his way to greatness; his legendary status was earned through hard work and a refusal to compromise on his principles, even in the face of state-sponsored intimidation.

As the lecture concluded, Bakare’s message remained clear: the Nigerian judiciary must urgently undergo a process of self-cleansing if it hopes to survive the growing tide of public indignation. He stressed that a nation can survive many things, but it cannot survive the death of justice. By exposing the “market” nature of the current system, Bakare hopes to spark a conversation that leads to actual reform, ensuring that the courts return to being a sanctuary for the oppressed rather than a “chop-shop” for the corrupt.