President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

• Demands review of prosecution strategies, stronger capacity

President Bola Tinubu has urged the judiciary to close procedural loopholes exploited by politically exposed persons and organised criminal networks to delay or frustrate corruption trials, calling for reforms to strengthen the prosecution of financial and economic crimes.

The President said the fight against corruption required an independent, progressive, and reform-minded judiciary capable of responding to evolving criminal tactics and ensuring that legal technicalities did not become instruments of frustration for justice.

Tinubu made the call yesterday in Abuja while addressing the eighth yearly Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)/National Judicial Institute (NJI) Capacity Building Workshop for Judges and Justices.

He was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima.

With the theme, ‘Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age’, the workshop focused on strengthening the capacity of judicial officers to address the growing complexities of financial crimes driven by technological innovation.

The President urged judicial officers to scrutinise existing legal frameworks and prosecution strategies, identify gaps in the administration of criminal justice and reconsider outdated precedents that could be exploited to undermine the effective prosecution of offenders.

President Tinubu described financial and economic crimes as a major threat to Nigeria’s development, warning against treating the anti-corruption campaign as the exclusive responsibility of the executive arm of government.

He said corruption undermined public institutions across all arms of government and imposed a burden on ordinary Nigerians, making the fight against graft a collective responsibility.

“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,” the President said.

He added that the law should serve the broader public interest rather than protect narrow interests through technical manoeuvres.

“Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law,” he said.

The President said that meaningful progress in the fight against corruption would remain elusive without an independent and reform-oriented judiciary, commending the EFCC and the NJI for sustaining their collaboration in judicial capacity development.

He said the rapid evolution of technology had expanded the reach and sophistication of criminal activities, with blockchain technology and artificial intelligence introducing new complexities into the investigation and prosecution of financial crimes.

According to him, law enforcement agencies and judicial authorities must continuously upgrade their skills and procedures to keep pace with emerging criminal methods.

He also acknowledged the reform efforts of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and pledged the executive arm’s support to equip the judiciary to meet the demands of justice delivery in the digital era.

Earlier, Kekere-Ekun said the yearly workshop reflected the sustained commitment of the EFCC and the NJI to addressing challenges confronting Nigeria’s justice system.