Leaving the FCT High Court after witnessing the embarrassing celebration of a former governor facing serious allegations of corruption, I was met with yet another disheartening sight that underscored Nigeria’s dysfunction. A private car, smashed beyond repair in what appeared to be an accident, lay abandoned. The chaos was caused by over 300 EFCC operatives deployed to follow one individual into the courtroom–a man until he became governor of Kogi, was completely an unknown figure.
This excessive show of force was not about enforcing justice but ensuring the comfort and protection of someone under investigation. The operatives’ chaotic display, led to the destruction of an innocent citizen’s property and potentially harmed. The message was unmistakable: in Nigeria, power and connections reign supreme, leaving ordinary citizens to suffer silently.
Inside the court building, the spectacle continued with FCT High Court staff abandoning their posts, chanting “White Lion! White Lion!” as the accused former governor descended, surrounded by a fortress of security. Even the commissioner of oaths dismissed our presence, waiting for her attention, as she joined in chanting white lion. It was as though an alleged criminal were being celebrated rather than scrutinized.
Such scenes are emblematic of a nation that has lost its moral direction. Law enforcement and judicial institutions, meant to uphold justice and decorum, now openly celebrate an allegedly corrupt individual. It’s a bitter irony that these displays occur in courthouses—symbols of justice that have become arenas of impunity and misplaced priorities.
The owner of the wrecked car, much like many other Nigerians, will likely bear their loss in silence, knowing that seeking redress in a system like ours is an exercise in futility. Their plight is a grim metaphor for the everyday Nigerian—crushed under the weight of a system that prioritizes the powerful while disregarding the rights and dignity of ordinary citizens.
What makes this spectacle even more disheartening is how deeply it reflects the decay of our institutions. Agencies like the EFCC, instead of building public trust and pursuing accountability, engage in performative displays meant to impress but which only expose the systemic rot within. The celebration of alleged criminals in the name of political loyalty or class privilege is a blatant affront to justice.
This is more than a failure of leadership—it is a cultural decay. Until we hold leaders and institutions accountable until we stop glorifying the allegedly corrupt, and until the rights of the common man are respected, Nigeria will remain trapped in this vicious cycle of decay. The smashed car outside the courthouse is not just an unfortunate accident; it is a symbol of a country where the innocent pay the price for the sins of the powerful.
This is not justice. It is a mockery of justice. In a functional society, an accused individual would be subject to the scrutiny of the law, not celebrated as a hero. Only in a banana republic do the allegedly corrupt walk into courtrooms like celebrities while the innocent are left to pick up the pieces of their shattered lives.
