Tribunal Seeks Special Court, 37 Judges To Fast-track Graft Cases

The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) has proposed the establishment of a National Anti-Corruption Court with seven judicial divisions and 37 judges to expedite the prosecution and resolution of corruption cases nationwide.

The proposal forms part of extensive reforms being pursued by the CCT’s chairman, Justice Mainasara Ibrahim Kogo Umar.

Under the suggested reforms, the new court would have jurisdiction to handle anti-corruption cases currently prosecuted by various agencies, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

According to him, the proposal would also enable other relevant government institutions and civil society organisations to prosecute suitable anti-corruption cases before the specialised court.
The proposed court would operate under a summary trial procedure, with all cases expected to be concluded within six weeks of arraignment.

The CCT said the proposal is being advanced through the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation as an Executive Bill for consideration by the National Assembly.

It also stated that the restructuring aims to strengthen Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework by establishing a specialised judicial platform capable of handling graft cases swiftly, rather than leaving such matters to the general court system.

The initiative aligns with the Tribunal’s review of its operations, which includes creating new Practice Directions to modernise procedures and ensure they are consistent with the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act.

The Tribunal said it had sent draft Practice Directions to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Attorney-General of the Federation, and the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation for feedback.

The Tribunal also mentioned that it has adopted a faster method for newly filed cases by directing that matters filed by the CCB be scheduled promptly for hearing.

It was disclosed that the CCB filed six cases between 2025 and 2026, with interim orders granted in four, including freezing bank accounts and temporarily forfeiting assets.

However, despite these reforms, the Tribunal identified insufficient funding and logistical challenges as significant operational hurdles.

It revealed that the institution rarely receives its full annual budget of approximately N2 billion and criticised the fact that the Chairman has neither official accommodation nor a vehicle, while several directors lack official vehicles.

Therefore, the Tribunal called on the Federal Government to supply sufficient funding, furniture, ICT tools, vehicles, and other necessary facilities to ensure effective operations.