Osigwe, Akangbe call for justice reforms

The President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), and NBA presidential candidate, Lateef Akangbe (SAN), have called on lawyers to take a leading role in driving reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s justice system and restoring public confidence in legal institutions. The two senior lawyers made the call in separate messages at the 2026 Law Week of the NBA Gombe Branch, themed “Strengthening Justice Through Reforms: Lawyers as Agents of Change.” Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Law Week, Osigwe said the strength of any justice system is measured not merely by the laws it enacts but by the confidence citizens have in its ability to deliver justice fairly, efficiently and without prejudice. In a statement shared on his X handle on Tuesday, the NBA president said the strength of any justice system should be measured not only by the laws enacted but also by the confidence citizens have in the system’s ability to deliver justice fairly, efficiently and without bias. He commended the leadership and members of the NBA Gombe Branch for convening what he described as an important conversation at a time when the legal profession and the justice sector must reflect on their responsibilities to society and the urgent need to strengthen public trust in institutions. According to Osigwe, despite the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, several of the challenges the legislation was designed to address continue to persist. “While the enactment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 marked a significant milestone in the reform of our criminal justice system, many of the challenges it sought to address remain,” he said. He noted that correctional centres across the country remain overcrowded, while bail conditions are often excessively stringent. The NBA president also expressed concern that key provisions of the ACJA, including those relating to bondsmen, are yet to be fully utilized to improve access to justice and reduce impunity. “Our correctional centres continue to be overcrowded, bail conditions are often excessively stringent, and critical provisions of the law, including those relating to bondsmen, are not being fully utilized to promote access to justice and reduce impunity,” he stated. Osigwe urged lawyers and other stakeholders in the justice sector to move beyond merely identifying the challenges confronting the system and commit to ensuring that reforms contained in existing laws produce tangible benefits for citizens. “The effectiveness of any reform lies not in its enactment, but in its i