A Case for the Establishment of Specialized Corruption Courts in Nigeria: A Panacea for the Prosecution of High Profile Corruption Cases

Abstract

Specialized anti – corruption courts have emerged and are still emerging in many countries, both in response to legal reform   for faster and better criminal justice system and due to the frustration, complexity and difficulty in litigating corruption cases especially high profile corruption cases.  Nigeria like many other countries is struggling with an endemic level of corruption and even though Nigeria is not bereft of adequate anti – corruption laws and institutions, the fight against corruption remains daunting. Just as the nature of corruption evolves, the mode of tackling it must also evolve and that is why this paper supports the establishment of specialized anti- corruption courts. This paper also takes into cognizance that the success of the proposed specialized anti - corruption court would definitely depend on several other factors, such as, the establishment of this court should not in any way be seen as the magical solution to a complicated problem such as corruption rather as a likely mechanism for a broader, more systemic, anti-corruption transformation.

Keywords: Corruption, Nigeria, Specialized Court, High Profile Corruption Case