One of Africa’s leading research networks, Afrobarometer, has stated that Africans continue to rely on both formal and informal justice systems to resolve legal disputes, while many question whether the courts deliver fair, affordable, and timely justice.

The group highlighted this in a new report, based on 50,961 interviews conducted across 38 African countries in 2024/2025, which shows that while many citizens would turn first to the police or local courts to resolve legal problems, about one-quarter prefer traditional leaders, traditional courts, or elders.

According to the report, confidence in formal justice systems is not strong, as only half of Africans believe ordinary people can obtain justice through the courts.

From the study, the majority say people are frequently treated unequally under the law, and almost half think powerful individuals, who break the law, get off too lightly.

It further said on the average, only half (50 per cent) of Africans express confidence that ordinary citizens could obtain justice in the courts as perceptions of fairness and timeliness in courts are similarly weak.

According to the Pan-African, non-partisan survey research, concerns about inequality is also widespread when it comes to the penalties imposed by courts:

“Almost half of respondents say the powerful get off too lightly, while only 13 per cent say the same is true for ordinary people,” the report added.

Similarly, a professor of Law at the Igbinedion University Okada, Prof. Osaretin George Izevbuwa, has raised concerns over the integrity of Nigeria’s justice system.

He warned that corruption, political interference and judicial manipulation were turning justice into a commodity and placing democracy, economic growth and public trust at risk.

Delivering a keynote paper titled “Justice for Sale: Who Truly Pays the Price?” at the 2026 Law Week of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Benin Branch, the legal scholar argued that while the wealthy and politically connected may benefit from a compromised judicial system, ordinary Nigerians ultimately bear the heaviest burden.

According to the deputy vice chancellor, the judiciary is the last hope of the common man, stressing that once judicial processes become susceptible to influence and corruption, the very foundation of constitutional democracy begins to crumble.

The legal scholar identified bribery, forum shopping, conflicting court orders, manipulation of court processes, and interference with case files as major channels through which justice is allegedly compromised. (The Guardian)

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