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President Bola Tinubu has urged the judiciary to close legal loopholes and address procedural delays that enable suspects accused of economic and financial crimes to evade justice.
Tinubu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the eighth annual capacity-building workshop organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
Vice-President Kashim Shettima represented the president at the workshop, themed, “Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age”.
The president called for reforms in the justice system, urging judicial authorities to review outdated precedents and statutory frameworks that could be exploited to frustrate corruption trials.
“Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” he said.
Tinubu described economic and financial crimes as an existential threat to Nigeria, warning that corruption undermined public services and affected every arm of government.
He said it was wrong to regard the fight against corruption as the exclusive responsibility of the executive, stressing that the judiciary, legislature and citizens also had roles to play.
“We must no longer permit legal pyrotechnics and procedural pedantry to shelter criminality,” the president said.
He added that the courts should go beyond the mechanical application of rules to uphold moral order, social equity and the public interest.
“Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law,” he said, insisting that meaningful progress against corruption required an independent, progressive and reform-minded judiciary.
Tinubu also highlighted the growing sophistication of financial crimes, noting that blockchain technology and artificial intelligence had created new challenges for investigators and prosecutors.
He urged law enforcement agencies and judicial officers to strengthen their capacity and adapt their methods to emerging criminal trends.
The president commended the EFCC for its efforts against cryptocurrency fraud and the recovery of virtual assets, expressing confidence in the commission’s ongoing operations.
He said the agency had recorded significant recoveries in cases involving cryptocurrency investment fraud.
Earlier, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, said the workshop reflected the commitment of the NJI and EFCC to addressing challenges confronting the justice system.
She noted that technological advancements had transformed the collection, preservation and presentation of digital evidence, requiring appropriate judicial responses.
Kekere-Ekun stressed the importance of disciplined case management and sustained judicial training in ensuring effective criminal justice administration in the digital era.
The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, described the workshop as part of broader efforts to confront the changing nature and scale of financial crimes.
He said Shettima’s participation demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the fight against corruption.
Also speaking, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede described the workshop as a national imperative, noting that the commission had introduced reforms and recorded significant convictions and financial recoveries over the past three years.
Olukoyede assured Nigerians that recovered funds and assets would be managed transparently and judiciously.
He, however, expressed concern that technological innovation was advancing faster than the legal instruments available to investigate and prosecute financial crimes, underscoring the need for continuous reforms and institutional capacity-building.
