Human rights lawyer, Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) has said lack of courage often demonstrated by judges in Nigeria was responsible for the rot in the nation’s judiciary.
Ozekhome, who stated this at the ongoing annual conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), also noted that Nigeria was in a quagmire because judges were afraid to deliver judgement because the government was on their neck.
He insisted that the judges’ timidity was a major factor that undermines the judiciary under the present democracy, adding that until the third arm of government was truly independent of external interference, the rule of law would continue to be compromised.
At the breakout session organised by NBA Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL), the executive director, Access to Justice, Joseph Otteh, said a host of factors limits the functionality of justice in the court.
Otteh identified overcrowded dockets and escalating cost of accessing justice as major barriers in the case of filing fees.
The lawyer claimed that the courts were not responsive enough to the issue of people having access to the court of law.
On his part, the director of Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action (PRAWA) Dr. Uju Agomoh, wants the judiciary to use its power to stop overcrowding the custodial centres in the country.
Agomoh was particular about controlling the rate of remand of suspects in custody and the duration inmates spend in prison.
