OCJ Okocha, former NBA president distances self from remarks about Nigerian judiciary

OCJ Okocha (middle) with other senior lawyers at the valedictory court session in honour of Owupele Daniel Kalio

…Says Osigwe was wrong to speak without pinning the facts on persons

Onueze Chukwujinka Joe (O.C.J.) Okocha, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a distinguished Nigerian legal practitioner, has disassociated himself from the remarks of the current president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Nigerian judiciary.

Okocha, the 19th president of the NBA (2000–2002), spoke at the valedictory court session in honour of Owupele Daniel Kalio, Justice of the Federal Court of Appeal, who clocked 70 on Tuesday, February 17, 2026. He said Afam Osigwe did not point at specific cases but allegedly made sweeping statements.

The current NBA President had accused members of the judiciary and legal profession of being the most corrupt Nigerians, claiming that many judgments in the country now depend more on the “fatness of envelopes” instead on the weight of evidence.

Osigwe spoke last Friday, February 13, 2026, at the Ralph Opara Memorial Lecture in Enugu, with the theme; ‘Judicial Corruption in Nigeria: A Menace to Democracy and Social Justice’ where he described the situation as a “moral crisis and a democratic emergency” that threatens the foundation of Nigeria.

He had said: “The Judiciary, once perceived as the last hope of the common man, is increasingly perceived as a marketplace where justice is auctioned to the highest bidder.”

He had lamented that widespread disillusionment has emerged as citizens now view courtrooms as arenas where rulings are influenced by bribes rather than evidence.

Osigwe had cited data, noting that a 2024 survey by the UNODC and the National Bureau of Statistics revealed that public officials received approximately N721 billion bribes in cash in 2023, with judges among the top recipients. An ICPC survey also indicated that N9.4 billion in bribes flowed through the justice sector between 2018 and 2020, with lawyers and litigants identified as primary bribe-givers. Yet, Okocha argued that Osigwe did not cite specific cases.

Okocha, who described Kalio as having an unblemished record without any scandals, said what Osigwe said made sordid stories about bribery and corruption in the judiciary. He noted that saying the Bar and Bench in Nigeria were the most corrupt was unacceptable to him. “I disagree and I distance myself from it.”

He insisted that the integrity of the judiciary must be protected at all times as required in Article 3(1) of the rules guiding the profession, saying the NBA must defend the judiciary. “Osigwe must submit evidence, not sweeping allegations. This is not good for the judiciary. Withdraw it or deny it.”

Okocha however admitted that the body of lawyers and judges must not play the ostrich and deny that there is corruption but argued that wickedness or evil is found everywhere.

On her key address, Monica Bolna’an Dongban-Mensem, President of the Court of Appeal of Nigeria since June 11, 2020, described Kalio as a judge with promptness in daily resumption of court, calling him ‘a 9’oclock man’. She said the retiring justice is not only dedicated but is one of the finest jurists with specialty in legal drafting.

“He is a man of few words, and highly sought after who won several awards as ‘Judge of the Year’.

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