Human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, says Nigerian judiciary was better under military rule than now.
Farotimi made this assertion in a statement shared on social media on Sunday, noting that the judiciary has lost the integrity it once commanded during military rule.
The activist compared the current judiciary with the period of military rule, when successive military governments were known to disregard court orders and rely on ouster clauses to shield certain actions from judicial review.
Farotimi said that despite those challenges, the judiciary at the time remained ‘worthy of the name,’ suggesting that judges retained a level of institutional standing that, in his view, is lacking in the present system.
“When our judiciary was worthy of the name, in the heyday of the military bandits that ruled Nigeria, the rulers routinely ignored court orders and ruled with ouster clauses,” Farotimi said.
He described the current judiciary as largely complicit, arguing that it now stands on what he termed as corrupt mandate.
DAILY POST recalls that Farotimi has been a vocal advocate for judicial and institutional reform in Nigeria and has repeatedly raised concerns about the strength of democratic institutions, accountability and the rule of law.