A Scathing Indictment of Nigeria’s Judiciary: A Legal Insider’s Crusade Against Corruption

• Book Title: Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System
• Author: Dele Farotimi
• Publishers: Dele Farotimi Publishers
• Reviewer: Emeaba Emeaba
• Pages: 115

It isn’t easy being Dele Farotimi. He seems to relish challenging authority, relentlessly poking the proverbial bear. His 2019 book, Do Not Die in Their War, throws social media’s incendiary power onto Nigeria’s already volatile political landscape—a raw, unfiltered explosion of commentary that fearlessly exposes the nation’s festering wounds.  In 2021, he published The Imperatives of The Nigerian Revolution—a scathing and sweeping critique that depicts a nation on the brink of implosion, offering what some might consider a naive pacifist fantasy as a remedy, a desperate, perhaps delusional, attempt to bandage a gaping wound while the elite continue to hemorrhage the nation’s lifeblood.  Even as he audaciously continued to provoke those in power, seemingly oblivious to the potential consequences, his books were being intensely scrutinized by the very individuals he portrayed as too ruthless and arrogant to care – the establishment politicians.  Those at the sharp end of his blunt, uncompromising prose angrily ground their teeth and bided their time, while multiple articles and online commentaries dissected his arguments, precisely because they resonated with the growing discontent simmering within the populace.

Now, Farotimi has written a new book.  “The judiciary is hopeless and unfit for purpose,” declares Dele Farotimi in Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, a searing exposé of the rot festering at the heart of Nigeria’s legal institutions. Farotimi, an author, political activist, and lawyer with over two decades of experience, pulls no punches. His book is a damning indictment of a system he argues has become a weapon for the powerful to exploit the vulnerable, manipulate the law, and perpetuate injustice.  Drawing from his firsthand experiences, Farotimi weaves a narrative that is as much a personal memoir as it is a forensic analysis of systemic corruption.  The result is a work that is both deeply unsettling and profoundly necessary—a clarion call for reform in a nation where justice is often a commodity auctioned to the highest bidder.

In Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System, Farotimi depicts the Nigerian justice system not merely as inadequate, but as utterly broken—so much so that he feels compelled to go beyond mere theorizing and issue a resounding call to action.  Structured around his professional journey, from his early days as a young lawyer navigating the labyrinthine corridors of Nigeria’s legal system to his eventual disillusionment with a judiciary he describes as “systemically putrefied,” Farotimi’s book transcends a mere critique of the legal profession; it is a reflection of Nigeria’s broader societal malaise.

Farotimi’s account of the Eletu case underscores the insidious intersection of law, politics, and economics in a country where power remains concentrated in the hands of a select few. This case serves as a stark illustration of the pervasive land disputes that plague Nigeria, where fraudulent claims and judicial manipulation are routinely employed to dispossess ordinary citizens of their property. The level of alleged condescension and manipulation is breathtaking. Page after page, Farotimi’s book delivers a damning indictment of a system he argues has become a tool for the powerful to exploit the weak, manipulate the law, and perpetuate injustice. Utilizing the Eletu family case—a sprawling legal saga that epitomizes the dysfunction of Nigeria’s criminal justice system—which involved a fraudulent claim by the Eletu family, he exposes the alleged collusion between senior lawyers, judges, and government officials to manipulate the law for personal gain. Farotimi meticulously details how the Supreme Court’s judgment was allegedly doctored, how warrants were fraudulently procured, and how the judiciary allegedly became complicit in a scheme to extort billions of Naira from innocent landowners.  While the book speaks to the global issue of judicial corruption, offering a case study that resonates beyond Nigeria’s borders, it can also be viewed within the context of a growing body of literature examining the failures of legal systems in developing countries, from Sarah Chayes’ Thieves of State to Jennifer Widner’s Building the Rule of Law.

However, what distinguishes Farotimi’s book is its intensely personal perspective. Unlike academic treatises on corruption, Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System is grounded in the lived experience of a practitioner who has witnessed the system’s inner workings firsthand. Farotimi’s prose is sharp and unflinching, seamlessly blending legal analysis with personal anecdotes to create a narrative that is both informative and emotionally resonant. He doesn’t hesitate to name names, implicating senior lawyers like Afe Babalola and S.B. Joseph, as well as judges like Justice Atilade and Justice Rhodes-Vivour, in the corruption he alleges plagues the judiciary. His critique isn’t confined to individuals; he also dissects the structural flaws that enable such abuses, from the perceived lack of accountability within the judiciary to the alleged complicity of the Lagos State government.

Farotimi’s book is a powerful and important contribution, but it is not without its limitations.  One of its greatest strengths, its unflinching honesty, can also be perceived as a potential weakness. Farotimi pulls no punches, whether describing the alleged incompetence of judges or the purported greed of senior lawyers.  His willingness to name names and expose the inner workings of the legal system is both courageous and necessary, particularly in a country where such issues are often suppressed.  The book’s narrative structure, centered around the Eletu case, provides a compelling framework for his broader critique of the criminal justice system. The case functions as a vehicle for exploring themes like corruption, impunity, and the abuse of power, while also offering a human element that maintains reader engagement.

However, this focus on the Eletu case can also be considered a constraint. While undeniably significant, the case may not be fully representative of all the challenges confronting Nigeria’s criminal justice system. Farotimi could have broadened his analysis to encompass other cases or systemic issues, such as the treatment of criminal defendants or the difficulties faced by law enforcement. Another potential weakness is the book’s occasional lack of nuance.  While Farotimi’s critique of the judiciary is potent, his portrayal of all judges and lawyers as corrupt or complicit risks oversimplifying a complex issue. There are undoubtedly individuals within the legal profession committed to justice, and their voices are largely absent from the narrative. Finally, while Farotimi’s prose is generally clear and engaging, it can occasionally become overly dense, particularly when discussing legal technicalities, potentially making the book less accessible to readers without a legal background.

Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System is a sobering and essential read for anyone interested in the rule of law, corruption, or the challenges facing Nigeria.  Farotimi’s account of the Eletu case serves as a powerful reminder of the human cost of judicial corruption and the critical importance of holding those in power accountable. The book is a compelling and courageous exposé that shines a light on the corruption allegedly plaguing Nigeria’s legal system.  It is essential reading for anyone concerned with justice, accountability, and the rule of law.

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♦ Dr. Emeaba, the author of “A Dictionary of Literature,” writes dime novels in the style of the Onitsha Market Literature sub-genre.