BY OLA AJAYI

IBADAN – AS a result of endemic corruption in all strata of life in the country, two Senior Advocates of Nigeria, Chiefs Folake Solanke and Chief Adeniyi Akintola, have condemned  rising cases of corruption in the nation’s  judicial system with the latter calling on all Nigerians to join the crusade for the public execution of corrupt public officers.

Speaking at a valedictory court session in honour of a late legal luminary, Chief Jacob Oyekanmi Esan,  the first female SAN, said with the corruption in the judicial system all legal practitioners were mourning the loss of their professional dignity, integrity and credibility.

Chief Akintola said joining the crusade for the execution of corrupt officers whose  hands were soiled was the only worthy legacy the present generation could leave for the children yet unborn.

He was speaking as a guest lecturer at the 2010 annual alumni lecture on a topic entitled, “Corruption and the Rule of Law, whither Nigeria” at the University of Ibadan. weekend.

He lamented that lawmakers and the political stakeholders had not lent any helping hands to the eradication or reduction of corruption in the country saying the clause “prove beyond reasonable doubt” was a cog in the wheel of progress that could remove corruption.

Though, we borrowed the legal parlance from the British about a century ago, the British Government had amended the term more than 23 times, yet we refused to do for obvious reason.

Making reference to what she described as horrifying public disputation between the Chief Justice of Nigeria-Hon. Justice A. I Katsina Alu and the President of the Court of Appeal, Hon. Justice Isa Ayo Salami, she said in her 48 years at Bar and 30 years as a silk, she never imagined that the virus of corruption would so infect our judicial system thereby eroding the age-long dignity, integrity and credibility of administration of justice.