Tinubu to Judiciary: Checkmate loopholes exploited by criminals

• Hails EFCC’s onslaught against cryptocurrency fraud

By Chesa Chesa

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the judiciary to review prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated legal precedents and close procedural gaps exploited by politically exposed persons and organised crime groups to delay or frustrate criminal trials.

The President made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the 8th annual Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and National Judicial Institute Capacity Building Workshop for Judges and Justices.

Represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Tinubu said Nigeria could not effectively combat corruption and financial crimes without an independent, progressive and reform-minded judiciary.

He urged judicial officers to interrogate existing statutory frameworks in response to the changing nature of financial crimes, particularly those driven by digital technology.

“Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” the President said.

Tinubu warned that financial and economic crimes posed an existential threat to the country, stressing that corruption affected every arm of government and all segments of society.

He described it as a mistake to portray the anti-corruption campaign as the sole responsibility of the executive, noting that compromised public services affected the executive, legislature, judiciary and ordinary citizens.

The President said the fight against corruption was a collective struggle for national survival.

“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,” he said.

Tinubu maintained that meaningful progress in the fight against graft would remain elusive without an independent and reform-oriented judiciary.

He commended the EFCC and NJI for organising the workshop, themed, “Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age.”

The President said the workshop was timely, given the growing sophistication of financial crimes and the need to strengthen institutional cooperation in confronting them.

“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 said.

Tinubu urged the judiciary to adapt to the changing dynamics of financial crime, stressing that investigative and prosecutorial strategies must be realigned to prevent institutional obsolescence.

He said the EFCC’s recent efforts against cryptocurrency fraud and its recovery of virtual assets were encouraging.

According to him, the commission in 2025 secured the forfeiture of $22,417.91 worth of Bitcoin, 1,001,301.87 USDT in digital assets and $5.6 million linked to the CBEX scheme.

He added that 192 foreigners arrested for cyber-terrorism and cryptocurrency fraud were successfully prosecuted and deported.

The President said the EFCC’s activities demonstrated that the agency was proactive and determined not to be outpaced by technological innovation.

He, however, urged the judiciary to complement law enforcement efforts by rapidly expanding its capacity to handle technology-driven crimes.

Tinubu acknowledged the reforms being undertaken by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and pledged the Federal Government’s support to equip the judiciary to meet the demands of justice delivery in the digital age.

Earlier, the CJN said the eighth edition of the workshop reflected the commitment of the NJI and EFCC to addressing challenges confronting stakeholders in Nigeria’s justice system.

Kekere-Ekun said technological developments had changed the way digital evidence was obtained, preserved and presented in court.

She stressed that effective criminal justice administration in the digital era required firm and disciplined case management, adding that capacity-building programmes such as the EFCC-NJI collaboration were designed to strengthen the process.

The CJN said sustained judicial education and capacity development had produced positive results, including improved case management and justice delivery by judicial officers.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Emmanuel Udende, described the workshop as timely, given the increasing sophistication of financial crimes and corruption cases involving politically exposed persons.

Udende said such cases had a direct impact on timely case management and the administration of justice.

He assured participants that the National Assembly remained committed to supporting the fight against corruption and financial crimes through proactive legislation.

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecution, Rotimi Oyedepo, called for stronger cooperation among stakeholders.

He said no single arm of government could effectively tackle corruption alone.

Fagbemi urged judges and lawyers to take advantage of the workshop to improve their capacity and make investigations more thorough and prosecutions more diligent.

In his welcome address, the Administrator of the National Judicial Institute, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, said the partnership between the EFCC and NJI had become an important component of the government’s efforts to confront the scale and dynamics of financial crimes in the digital age.

Adejumo said the Vice-President’s presence at the event demonstrated the Tinubu administration’s commitment to strengthening the fight against corruption.

The EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, described the workshop as a national imperative and an important component of the annual programmes of the commission and the NJI.

Olukoyede said the commission under his leadership had recorded significant convictions and financial recoveries over the past three years.

He assured Nigerians that recovered funds and property would be handled transparently and judiciously.

The EFCC chairman, however, expressed concern over the impact of advanced technology on financial crimes and other forms of corruption, noting that digital innovation was advancing faster than existing legal instruments and prosecutorial provisions.