Kangaroo Court: A Case Study of Nigeria’s Judiciary and the Rot in the Police – Adejola Adeyemi Crown

In every democratic society, justice stands as the foundation upon which peace, equality, and order are built. It is the voice of fairness that assures the poor that their cries will be heard and the rich that their influence will not override truth. Justice, when truly served, strengthens the bond between citizens and their government. But in Nigeria, that sacred foundation is being destroyed by greed, manipulation, and moral decay.

What we see today is not a justice system working for the people, but a system working against them. Courtrooms that should symbolize fairness have turned into theatres of deceit. Judges, who should act as neutral umpires, now appear to follow pre-written scripts from unseen masters. Every judgment seems rehearsed, every verdict looks influenced, and every outcome appears predictable. The independence of the judiciary has been traded for loyalty to political power.

The phrase “kangaroo court” now perfectly describes many of our judicial proceedings. It is no longer about who is right or wrong, but who is powerful or connected. The law, which should be blind, now peeps through its blindfold to see whose side it should favor. The common man walks into the courtroom hoping for justice but often walks out in tears and regret.

For many Nigerians, court judgments have lost meaning. People now believe that justice can be bought, delayed, or silenced depending on one’s status in society. The idea that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man has become a mockery. How can hope exist where fairness no longer lives? How can confidence remain in a system where truth is ignored for political convenience?

Judges, magistrates, and even some senior advocates have become willing participants in this drama of disgrace. Many have forgotten the weight of the robe they wear. Instead of using it as a symbol of honour and integrity, some wear it as a costume of control. Verdicts are given not based on facts but on directives. Files disappear, evidence gets tampered with, and justice becomes a mere transaction.

When the judiciary loses its moral compass, the nation loses direction. A compromised court breeds chaos. It empowers the corrupt, weakens the innocent, and mocks the very idea of democracy. The damage is not only to individuals but to the nation’s reputation before the watching world. Nigeria’s judiciary, once respected, now struggles under the shadow of shame.

But the judiciary is not alone in this tragedy. The police, who are supposed to protect the law, have become partners in its destruction. The Nigerian Police Force, which should represent discipline and service, has been eaten up by the same disease of corruption and moral decay. Many officers no longer see their uniforms as symbols of duty but as licenses for extortion.

Ordinary Nigerians encounter police officers not as protectors but as predators. At checkpoints, on the highways, or in the station, the story is the same bribery before assistance. Innocent citizens are detained without cause, beaten into confessions, or forced to pay their way to freedom. Meanwhile, the real criminals, those with influence or money, are treated as untouchables.

It is common knowledge that some officers collect bail for bailable offences and fabricate charges against those who cannot pay. Investigations are manipulated, and evidence is often planted to suit the interests of those in power. The result is a complete loss of trust. The people no longer see the police as friends; they see them as threats.

This rot within the police system feeds directly into the decay of the judiciary. When corrupt investigations meet compromised judges, justice becomes impossible. The chain that should protect the innocent is now being used to strangle them. Victims become accused, and criminals become kings.

From unlawful arrests to politically motivated prosecutions, the Nigerian justice system has turned itself into a stage of oppression. The powerful use it as a weapon to silence critics, suppress opposition, and protect their own. Every time a court delivers a questionable ruling or a police officer takes a bribe, the confidence of the people in their government dies a little more.

Sadly, those in authority behave as if they do not see the danger. But history shows that no society survives long when its justice system collapses. When the people lose faith in the law, they seek justice through other means, and that is where anarchy begins. Nigeria is already dancing close to that edge.

We must therefore ask ourselves: where did we lose it? Was it when promotions began to depend on loyalty instead of merit? Was it when politicians began to handpick judges? Or was it when ordinary Nigerians stopped believing that justice could ever be fair? Wherever it started, it must end. The country cannot continue this way.

Reforming the judiciary and the police is not a luxury; it is a necessity. Judges must rediscover their conscience and remember the oath they took to serve without fear or favor. The police must return to professionalism and humanity. The law must no longer be an instrument of intimidation but a shield for the weak.

Nigeria’s leaders must stop treating justice as a tool of politics. The true measure of democracy is not in elections or speeches but in how fairly justice is delivered. Until that changes, no amount of reform or rhetoric can save our image before the world.

Justice must once again be blind, fair, and firm. It must serve all, not a few. The police must be trusted again, not feared. And the courts must stop acting like kangaroo stages, where verdicts are written before trials begin. Only then can Nigeria begin to heal.

Because when justice sleeps, the nation bleeds. And when the judiciary and police rot together, the soul of the country dies a slow death before the watching world.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” — Martin Luther King Jr.)

Adejola Adeyemi Crown
Journalist and Media Expert.