‘Avoid juicy and irresistible temptations,’ CJN tells new Appeal Court justices

THE Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad has cautioned the new justices of the Court of Appeal to avoid “juicy and irresistible temptations.”

The CJN, who made the call today at the inauguration of 18 new justices of the Appeal Court in Abuja, said “undeserving gifts and wealth are always wrapped in calamity and destruction.”

He said: “We are not here for long speeches but simply to realign your minds with what is expected of you at this very high and enviable level of adjudication.

“Many high profile cases would come to you on appeal; and they may likely come in the company of some juicy and irresistible temptations. But I am making it clear to you now that you must flee from such disguised danger.

“Your reputation and integrity matter much and count enormously in your rise to honour and fame in life.

“Let me point out unambiguously that in life, gifts and wealth that are not worked for, which are by extension, undeserving, are always wrapped in calamity and destruction.

“Flee from them and keep your heads high above the murky waters of corruption so that you can be conveniently counted among the very best in the Nigerian judiciary.

“If you were hitherto 50 percent under public scrutiny, I can assure you now that it has risen to 100 per cent, by this elevation to the Court of Appeal.

“The tempo and rate of public assessment of your conduct and disposition will now assume astronomical rise.

“The last time we swore in a large number of 12 Justices was on Monday 5th November 2012. Today’s ceremony is an indication of the times that we are currently in.

“Several novel crimes are being committed in the country that has now made litigations to go on a steady rise. No court in the land is spared of this.

“We are constantly on our toes and the dockets are ever-rising in response to the challenges of the time. This underscores the undisputed fact that Nigeria ranks among the most litigious countries in the world.”