When the Chief Justice brings the judiciary to ridicule, By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

On 27 February, Nigeria’s National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja opened a continuing education course for judges. The opening featured an address by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, who invited the participants to eschew “unethical conduct that could expose the judiciary to ridicule.” Beneath his text, it seemed as if the Chief Justice desired […]

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Who will tell the Chief Justice?, By Chidi Anselm Odinkalu

Nigeria’s Supreme Court held a special session on November 27, 2023 to formally usher in a new legal year. It provided an occasion for a retrospective on the performance of Nigeria’s judiciary by its leaders in a season of unprecedented levels of public angst over the political weaponisation of judges and a set piece moment to […]

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On Transparency and Accountability in Court Proceedings: An Open Letter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, By Adebowale Aluko

My Lord, I write, as a concerned member of the Nigerian bar, regarding a subject which has generated controversy among members of the bar and indeed the larger public in the past week. Confidence in the judiciary is at an all-time low.  On 22 May 2023, at the opening ceremony of the annual conference of […]

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Chief Justice of Ukraine Supreme Court dismissed, detained for alleged bribe

The head of Ukraine’s Supreme Court was dismissed from his post on Tuesday after being detained in a bribery investigation which anti-corruption authorities cast as their biggest-ever case. Kyiv has redoubled efforts to clamp down on corruption despite Russia’s invasion, and doing so is vital to meet the conditions for joining the European Union. Oleksandr Omelchenko, a […]

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