Catholic Lawyers in Nigeria Urged to Reject Bribery, Champion Integrity in Country’s Troubled Judicial System

Abuja, 04 December, 2025 / 12:25 AM

Amid growing public frustration over corruption in Nigeria’s justice system, the National President of the National Association of Catholic Lawyers (NACL) has called on Catholic legal practitioners in the country to reject bribery in all its forms and lead efforts to restore integrity and transparency in the country’s judiciary.

Speaking to ACI Africa on December 1 on the sidelines of a votive Mass marking the opening of the new legal year in the Catholic Archdiocese of Abuja, Barrister Edward Orgah said true justice and national stability remain impossible unless legal professionals and citizens embrace moral renewal.

“Catholic lawyers must shine the light in the face of corruption and deep darkness by promoting transparency, integrity, and living a corruption-free life. Pockets should not have any place in justice administration,” Barrister Orgah said.

He added, cautioning lawyers in Nigeria, “Don’t give a bribe. Don’t take a bribe. Don’t assist in taking or giving bribe.”

The NACL President cautioned that corruption ultimately harms everyone, including those who initiate it. 

“If there is corruption, it is not going to assist even the man who collected the bribe. Tomorrow morning, you need justice yourself,” he said, urging Nigeria to learn from countries like Rwanda and Ghana, which have rebuilt public trust through decisive reforms.

While acknowledging that corruption remains widespread, Barrister Orgah insisted that Nigeria’s judiciary also includes “very saintly, very clean Catholics who are doing their work, up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, with the fear of God.”

Addressing the popular belief that going to court often results in injustice, he said public distrust is partly valid but also oversimplified. Some judges labelled as corrupt may actually be victims of misconduct within the court system, he explained.

“Sometimes the judges are completely innocent… Maybe their workmen or staff do a lot of things, and yet society says he is corrupt,” he said.

Still, Barrister Orgah maintained, “Those who are corrupt must repent of their corruption and embrace the type of life that can be good for the common good of everybody.”

He emphasized that Catholic lawyers must view their profession as a vocation rather than a commercial pursuit. 

“Lawyering is not just a profession; it’s also a vocation, a call of God to serve. Money should not be the object of your practice; it is service to God and humanity that should be your goal,” he said.

Barrister Orgah said the annual votive Mass serves as a spiritual reminder that lawyers are called to uphold the Gospel in every action—whether as advocates, solicitors, judges, or public officials. 

“All our actions must be directed to the common good of all humanity, seeing everyone as an image of God,” he added.

Highlighting the largely unseen work of Catholic lawyers across the country, Barrister Orgah cited pro bono legal services, advocacy for inmates, assistance with diocesan land issues, and other interventions that often go unrecognized because they are not “physical structures.” 

Many prisoners with minor fines or offences, he said, have regained freedom through the group’s efforts. 

“We look for money from anywhere and pay those fines without asking where you are from,” he said.

However, he noted that limited funding remains a major obstacle, saying, “If we have funds, we can do much more than we are doing.”

To young lawyers beginning their careers, he appealed for a daily commitment to integrity.

“It is not just enough to dedicate the year to God; you must live in dedication to God,” Barrister Orgah said.