The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Mahmud Mohammed, on Wednesday in Abuja called on Nigerians who possess evidence of corrupt practices against any judge to forward them to the National Judicial Commission, NJC, assuring that such judicial officials would be sanctioned if found guilty.

Mohammed, who stated this at the swearing in of 30 judges recently appointed to the Federal High Court in Abuja, acknowledged that some judges and judicial workers might be involved in corrupt practices but maintained that only a “minute minority” is involved.

“I wish to address the vexed issue of judicial corruption. This is because allegations about corrupt judicial officers and staff now make headline news on a more frequent basis,” he started.

“With each allegation that passes, the need is ever present for the judiciary to address this issue and I feel it necessary to once again do so. I will not hide away from the reality that some judges and judicial staff may be complicit in corrupt practices, however, I must assert that corruption within the judiciary is only imbibed by a minute minority,” he went on to observe.

He, however, assured that the newly sworn-in judges went through a rigorous selection exercise before their appointment, adding that there was, indeed, a need for a cleansing of the judiciary in Nigeria.

“However as the saying goes, he who alleges must prove. This will indeed be done where accusers themselves avail us the particulars of these incidences of judicial corruption as well as the identity of the perpetrators, so that the National Judicial Council can act promptly and appropriately to remove such deviants from the bench”, he said.

The CJN‎ observed that that the process of appointing the new judges commenced in ,2014 and that the Federal Judicial Service Commission, FJSC, received over 2,000 applications.

Justice Mohammed listed several criteria which formed the basis for assessing the qualification of applicants to the positions.

“It is important to state at this juncture that acts such as lobbying for appointment, exhibition of bad behaviour in and out of court, influence peddling, rendering dishonest or questionable legal opinions, submission of false credentials are just some of those conducts exhaustively listed in the 2014 Guidelines as acts that would preclude appointment to judicial office and I make bold to say that all such acts were considered in the final configuration of this process,” he stated.

He advised the new judges to be diligent in administering justice and refrain from allowing themselves to be compromised by politicians in their search for political power.

He also advised judges to avoid acts capable of delaying the administration of justice, adding that the appointment of the new judges was in response to the need to improve access to justice for all Nigerians.

“Your Lordships must therefore take the proverbial bull by the horns and pull the plough within your courts so that we cultivate a highly professional, incorruptible and effective justice delivery system. This we can only do, when we dispense justice without fear or favour, affection or ill will. We must be seen to do justice though heavens may fall and I assure your lordships that the heavens will surely not fall”, he admonished.