The Body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria has warned that Nigeria’s federal system is under serious threat due to the dominance of a single political party, stressing that the judiciary must remain strong where opposition is weak.

BOSAN said the current political landscape has weakened federalism and virtually eliminated effective opposition, thereby placing greater responsibility on the judiciary to protect the constitution and the rule of law.

The body made the remarks in a speech delivered at a special court session marking the ceremonial commencement of the 2025/2026 Legal Year of the Federal High Court and the 41st Annual Judges’ Conference held in Abuja on Monday.

Currently, the All Progressives Congress controls at least 26 of the 36 states in the federation, with opposition parties decrying a tilt toward a one-party state.

In the address, read on its behalf by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), BOSAN declared: “When there is no strong opposition, the judiciary must be strong. It must be adept. It must be innovative. It must defend the law and the constitution, and employ every inherent sanction of a court of law.

“The framers of the Constitution would never have entrusted the judiciary with the custody and control of the Constitution, without at the same time, giving it the necessary jurisdictional power to protect it at the time of mindless corruption.

“As I said before, it is midnight. It is you, judges, who will lead in this darkness. At such a time as this, you must be bold and courageous. You must be honest, you must be innovative.”

BOSAN further cautioned against what it described as the criminalisation of politics, urging judges to rise to the challenge of safeguarding constitutionally guaranteed rights

It said: “Criminalisation of politics means that you are the hope of the nation. If the electoral process continues to be dominated by money, if violence and ethnicity continue to prevail, if the checks and balances instituted by law have been eliminated or have ceased to be effective, if all the structures for accountability provided in the constitution are surprisingly ignored, in that case, we need a judiciary that can assert itself.

“Do so now! Do not fear and do not be afraid. If this generation does not appreciate you, generations to come will do so. Generations to come shall look back and wonder how you were able to save a nation so totally lacking in moderation.

“It has been said that as long as the nation is rife with corruption, we should not consider ourselves a democracy.

“The hope of the nation is in the judiciary to remove this cankerworm of corruption so that we can have a genuine democracy. This means that judges must be enlightened. You must spiritualise yourselves. You must be holy.”

The body added that it depended not so much on the priests, pastors, and imams to have a godly society, stressing that the men of God had taught the lessons they ought to teach.

“It remains for you, judges, to punish disobedience. The appropriate use of punishment. You have the means to compel criminals to give up crime.

“That is why it is said that a nation is as good as its judiciary. It is for this reason that some people blame not the politicians, but our judges and magistrates,” the body said.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, acknowledged that public expectations of the judiciary had risen significantly in recent years, noting that scrutiny had intensified.

She stressed that the judiciary remained the last line of defence for the constitution and the rights it guaranteed.

“In an age where misinformation travels swiftly, and institutional trust is increasingly fragile, we must continually demonstrate, through both conduct and decisions, that justice in Nigeria is anchored firmly on impartiality, transparency, and integrity.

“The Judiciary does not speak through press statements or public commentary; our judgments constitute our voice, and the manner in which we discharge our duties defines the authority and credibility of that voice.

“Beyond the substance of our judgments, the public increasingly measures justice by the discipline of our daily processes.

“Punctuality in sitting, consistency in court schedules, and the courtesy of giving advance notice when a court will not sit are no longer minor administrative matters,” she said.

She emphasised that these expectations were essential expressions of respect for litigants, counsel, and citizens whose time, resources, and confidence are invested in the justice system.

She noted that it would be unrealistic to ignore the fact that public confidence in judicial institutions was fragile, and that perceptions, whether fair or otherwise, carried real consequences.

“Where court processes appear unpredictable, opaque, or inefficient, the credibility of even sound decisions may suffer.

“Restoring confidence is not achieved by rhetoric, but by reliability, professionalism, and visible order in the administration of justice.

“Judicial independence must therefore be upheld, not as an abstract ideal, but as a lived and daily discipline grounded in courage, restraint, and fidelity to the law.

“Independence is not an adornment of democracy; it is its lifeblood. Yet independence, standing alone, is insufficient unless exercised with responsibility and moral clarity,” she added.

She also said that the Bench and the Bar must remain partners in the administration of justice.

“A weak link on either side diminishes the system as a whole. I therefore urge members of the Bar to uphold the highest standards of advocacy, to eschew tactics that frustrate proceedings, and to work constructively with the courts in advancing efficiency, professionalism, and the Rule of Law,” Justice Kekere-Ekun said.

The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John T. Tsoho, disclosed that the court disposed of a total of 16,019 cases at the end of the 2023/2024 legal year.

He said 3,113 were civil cases, while 5,818 were criminal matters.

He added that 3,724 motions and 3,374 fundamental human rights cases were filed within the same period.

Justice Tsoho said the annual ceremony served as a reminder of the court’s collective responsibility to uphold the rule of law, administer justice fairly and impartially, and safeguard the rights of citizens.

He further disclosed that, in line with efforts to modernise the judiciary, the Federal High Court had commenced an e-filing system at its Lagos Division, with plans to extend it to all divisions nationwide.

“We are intensifying investment in infrastructural development such as construction of court buildings, judges’ quarters, renovation of courtrooms and staff quarters where needed.

“We also strive to provide essential technological equipment in our courts,” he said.

Justice Tsoho noted that the initiatives were aimed at enhancing service delivery despite limited resources.

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Afam Osigwe (SAN), urged the judiciary to guard its independence jealously, noting that its authority rests on public confidence in its neutrality.

While commending the Federal High Court for its resilience and fidelity to the law, he called for continued courage, saying judicial decisions remained vital in shaping governance and ensuring national stability.

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President Bola Tinubu held a closed-door meeting with the Service Chiefs at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday evening.

The session began around 6:01 pm local time, with the security chiefs arriving at the forecourt before being ushered into the President’s office.

This marks Tinubu’s first engagement with the military high command since swearing in General Christopher Musa (retd.) as the new Minister of Defence on December 4, 2025.

While the official agenda remains undisclosed, the meeting comes amid mounting security concerns, including the ongoing captivity of 115 students kidnapped from a Catholic boarding school in November, and the recent approval by Nigeria’s Senate for troop deployment to Benin Republic following an attempted coup there.

The engagement comes as the Nigerian Air Force conducted precision air interdiction missions at Dabar Masara, a known terrorist location in the Southern Tumbuns of Borno State, on December 14, 2025.

The operation, executed by the Air Component of Joint Task Force Operation HADIN KAI, targeted a terrorist workshop and vehicles concealed under vegetation, identified as an active logistics hub.

The  Director of Public Relations and Information, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said post-operation assessment confirmed the destruction of the vehicles and neutralisation of terrorist elements.

He emphasised that the NAF’s precision, intelligence-driven air operations remain critical in disrupting terrorist networks and enhancing security across the North-East.

The Southern Tumbuns, a network of marshlands around Lake Chad, has remained a major hideout for terrorist groups.

The Nigerian military continues to sustain combined air and ground operations in the area to degrade insurgent capabilities.

These developments highlight the federal government’s intensified efforts to combat insecurity, rescue abducted citizens, and dismantle criminal and terrorist networks across Nigeria.

Also, troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace conducted a series of operations in Kaduna and Plateau states.

According to the JTF spokesman, Maj. Samson  Zhakom,operations conducted between December 11 and 13, 2025, resulted in the neutralisation of several kidnappers and the rescue of multiple abducted victims.

On December 11, troops conducted clearance operations in Dangoma and Godogodo villages, Jema’a LGA, Kaduna State, neutralising three notorious kidnappers while others fled.

On December 12, a covert operation in Plateau State targeted a notorious kidnapper and gunrunner responsible for multiple crimes in Bassa and Jos North LGAs. The suspect opened fire but was swiftly neutralised, with recovered items including a pistol, ammunition, a dagger, a mobile phone, and cash. On December 13, troops responded to intelligence on an impending attack at Gidan-Saki Village, Zangon Kataf LGA, Kaduna State, causing the criminals to abandon their mission. That same day, in Jengre, Plateau State, an ambush operation following the kidnapping of four persons at Rimi Village, Jere District, led to the rescue of all victims and the neutralisation of one kidnapper, with an AK-47 rifle, a magazine, and 13 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition recovered.

Major Zhakom reiterated the JTF’s commitment to sustaining pressure on criminal elements and ensuring the safety of citizens in operational areas.

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Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, on Monday pushed back against calls by the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party for President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency over allegations linking the state government to banditry.

The PDP made the call during a press conference at its secretariat along Pipeline Road, Ilorin, addressed by its state Secretary, Abdulrahman Kayode.

The PDP described the claims as “grave and disturbing,” citing a viral video of suspected bandits arrested by the Nigerian Army in Auchi, Edo State. In the video, the suspects allegedly claimed that officials of the Kwara State Government supplied them with AK-47 rifles and a government-branded patrol vehicle.

But Governor Abulrazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Communications, Ibraheem Abdullateef, described the call for emergency rule as baseless and dead on arrival.

But the PDP insisted that President Tinubu must treat the situation as a matter of urgent national concern, warning that the allegations, if left unaddressed, could erode public trust and worsen insecurity in the state.

“We call on the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to immediately intervene and treat the situation in Kwara State as a matter of urgent national importance,” he said. “In the interest of justice, public safety and national security, it is reasonable to demand the declaration of a state of emergency in Kwara State to allow for a thorough, transparent and unhindered investigation into these allegations.”

Kayode stressed that the video raised serious questions that Governor Abdulrazaq, as the Chief Security Officer of the state, must answer.

“This is a direct allegation of state-sponsored criminality that must not be swept under the carpet. In the video, the suspects did not say they stole the weapons or bought them from the black market. They repeatedly stated that the arms and the patrol vehicle were supplied by officials of the Ilorin Government,” he said.

The PDP highlighted a recent surge in violent attacks across several local government areas, including Ifelodun, Patigi, Edu, Ekiti, Isin, and Irepodun.

Kayode recalled the September 28 attack on Oke-Ode community, where more than 15 people were reportedly killed.

He claimed that a government agent, allegedly a military officer, had visited the community the day before to disarm local hunters and vigilantes for supposed maintenance of their weapons—hours later, the bandits struck.

He noted that the name “Oga Victor,” mentioned by one of the suspects in the Edo State video, was also linked to that incident, calling the coincidence “too grave to be ignored.”

The PDP demanded answers from Governor Abdulrazaq, asking: “Who is ‘Oga Victor’? What official role does he play for the Kwara State Government? Why were AK-47 rifles allegedly released to non-state actors? How did a government-customised patrol vehicle assigned to Ifelodun Local Government end up in the hands of bandits in Edo State?”

Kayode also urged the Office of the National Security Adviser and other federal security agencies to launch an independent investigation into the allegations.

He further called on state security agencies, particularly the Nigeria Police Force, to retrieve all patrol vehicles allocated to local governments for a full audit.

“This process must be transparent, with full public disclosure, to restore public confidence in the security architecture of the state,” he said.

He challenged the media to intensify investigative reporting, insisting that the people of Kwara deserved the truth.

“The families and communities devastated by repeated attacks are counting on the media to ask hard questions and uncover the facts,” he said.

However, Governor Abdulrazaq’s Senior Special Assistant on Communications, Ibraheem Abdullateef, accused the PDP of politicising security issues to advance a “dead-on-arrival” bid for the 2027 gubernatorial election.

He said: “This desperation is nauseating and stands condemned by the people of Kwara State. The Kwara people understand that the call for a state of emergency is baseless and lacks sincerity. Having suffered acute political atrophy, the party has long resorted to incitement and fake news to cause unrest in the state. This is the latest of their ploys to assail democracy and subvert the will and mandate of the people in Kwara.”

Abdullateef added that President Tinubu would not act on the PDP’s demand, saying he has more pressing governance issues. “President Tinubu knows that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is an honest leader, a trustworthy ally and a patriot. This is why he was backed to emerge as Chairman of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum and enjoys strong support from his colleagues. The PDP’s call is dead on arrival,” he declared.

The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Kwara State Government dismissed similar claims circulating on social media. In a statement issued on Sunday night by the Commissioner for Communications, Mrs. Bolanle Olukoju, the state said no security agency, including the Nigerian Army, arrested armed bandits in Ifelodun or any other part of Kwara.

“The Nigerian Army did not arrest any armed bandits in any part of Ifelodun. No security agency ever reported such arrests in Kwara,” Olukoju said. She also debunked claims that the state government supplied weapons, stressing that no state government has the authority to issue AK-47 rifles. “At no point did the individuals in the video state that the Kwara State Government gave them any weapon,” she added.

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