Probe Prosecution Strategies, Seal Procedural Gaps Exploited By Criminals

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU TO JUDICIARY:

Probe Prosecution Strategies, Seal Procedural Gaps Exploited By Criminals

** Says corruption can’t be uprooted without independent, reform-minded Bench

In the bid to strengthen legal processes and expedite criminal prosecutions, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Judiciary to dismantle the procedural loopholes and flawed prosecution tactics that allow for the escape justice.

He demanded an aggressive overhaul of the justice system to ensure that no well-connected individual can manipulate technicalities to evade the full, crushing weight of the law.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during the annual EFCC/NJI Capacity Building Workshop for Judges and Justices, the President, who was represented by his deputy, Vice President
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Shettima, urged the judiciary to interrogate existing statutory frameworks against the backdrop of emerging financial crimes.

“Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” he stated.

The Nigerian leader warned that while financial and economic crimes pose an existential threat to Nigeria, corruption has no respect for status and spares no arm of government.

According to him, framing the anti-corruption campaign as purely an executive agenda is a fundamental error because compromised public services equally affect the executive, legislature, judiciary, and ordinary citizens.

Noting that corruption is a battle for the nation’s collective survival, President Tinubu said, “We must no longer permit legal pyrotechnics and procedural pedantry to shelter criminality. The Bench is not merely a mechanical arbiter of rules, but an active guardian of moral order and social equity.

“Law is, by design, an instrument of social engineering; it must invariably prioritise the public good over narrow, selfish interests shielded by technical manoeuvres. Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law.”

The President maintained that there will be no meaningful progress in uprooting graft “without an independent, progressive, and reform-minded Bench,” even as he commended the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for convening the 8th edition of the Judges and Justices Workshop.

He said the workshop with the theme, “Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age,” was timely and necessary in “fostering the institutional cohesion required to confront corruption’s ever-changing architecture in Nigeria.

“My Lords, we confront a rapidly shifting criminal landscape. Technology has amplified the audacity and reach of illicit actors, ushering in sophisticated crimes driven by destructive ingenuity. The rise of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence has introduced unprecedented layers of complexity to traditional illicit activities.

“Because these modern crimes constantly mutate, law enforcement and judicial authorities must continuously build capacity to adapt and respond effectively,” he added.

President Tinubu urged the judiciary to adapt to the shifting dynamics of financial crime, stressing that realigning the nation’s investigative and prosecutorial strategies is critical to preventing institutional obsolescence.

He continued: “We are already on the right trajectory. The EFCC’s recent momentum in tackling cryptocurrency fraud and its commendable strides in recovering virtual assets are highly reassuring. The agency has recovered billions of naira in cryptocurrency investment-related fraud cases.
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