Lawyers set up ‘injustice award’ for corrupt judicial officers

Lawyers in Nigeria under the aegis of Lawyers Network Against Corruption (LAWNAC) have set up an award to be conferred on corrupt judicial officers to shame them for perpetrating injustice.

The Programme Officer of LAWNAC, Chika Igwe, told Daily Trust that the “injustice award” was designed to identify and showcase individuals within the judiciary whose actions and inactions frustrated or perverted the course of justice nationwide.

He said the quarterly award would be conferred to winners in seven categories: lateness; truancy; long adjournments; obtuse rulings/judgments; most corrupt registry; judicial rascality and conflict of interest.

LAWNAC, therefore, called for the nomination of corrupt judicial officials to be marked “Injustice Award Nomination” containing the name of the judge/magistrate/ registrar/judicial staff, court, judicial division and state and submitted to injusticeaward@ gmail.com,

Igwe further said, “The nominator should also include a statement of the reasons for the nomination, copies of documents; including memos, rulings and or judgments by the judge or judicial staff and any other information relevant to the above.

“All submissions will be thoroughly vetted and verified. Nominations for the third quarter of 2021 should be made on or before July 30, 2021. All submissions received after this date will be considered for the next quarter. Winners and runners-up will be announced at the end of every quarter.”

Igwe said in addition to the award, LAWNAC would initiate disciplinary proceedings against the winners and runners-up.