Nigeria’s judgement debts hits N150bn – Malami


Debts Judgements incurred by the the Federal Government have risen to N150billion , said  the Attorney -General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Malami who stated  this Wednesday, when he appeared before the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, said the bills accumulated because the ministry was not funded regularly to meet its obligations in that regard. 

He therefore appealed to the Senate panel to appropriate N30bn to the Ministry annually to defray the debts. 

He said, “The Ministry of Justice was mandated to take inventory and explore avenues for the payment of judgement debts which has became hydraheaded. 

“This has arisen because it was only in 2017 that the sum of N10bn was disbursed for the payment of judgement debt as appropriated.

“As it stands, the sum of over N150bn remains unpaid, prompting beneficiaries of this sum to keep mounting pressures on the Ministry. 

“Distinguished members of this committee are hereby respectively requested to intervene on this long standing vex issue by appropriating the sum of N30bn annually to mitigate this challenge.

“It will also forestall possible friction, accrued interests and unwarranted litigations arising from our failure to effect payment.”

Malami urged the Senate panel to approve 2.5 per cent as commission for those involved in the recovery of looted assets. 

He said,  “May I humbly disclose that we are progressively making vital recovery of our looted funds stashed abroad.

“However, let me affirm that the legal procedural requirements for these recoveries are altogether tasking and cumbersome. 

“Besides, most times we have to engage the  services of well-grounded lawyers and consultants to effect recovery which were promptly deposited at Federal Government treasury. 

“To smoothen our operations in this regard, it was deemed expedient to establish Asset recovery unit in my office.

“So far, their efforts are quite salutary even in the face of zero requisite commission from recovery. 

“I would like to reiterate my earlier request to the effect that about 2.5 per cent of recovered looted money should be earmarked to the asset recovery unit to service logistics, operational cost, payment to private lawyers and consultants.”

Malami also sought the support of the federal lawmakers on the proposed establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Commission. 

The AGF said,  “The spectre of crimes and criminality in our entity and the near absence to address seeming loopholes, contradictions and ambiguities in the Administration of Criminal Justice informed the passage by the National Assembly of the famous “Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 “. 

“This Act has since been in force, and my Ministry now operates administration of Criminal Justice Department. 

“We have empanelled the Administration of Criminal Justice Committee to work closely with the Department. 

“Members of this committee are the foot soldiers for monitoring and implementation of Administration of Criminal lustice Act 2015 in Nigeria. 

“Only recently we came to the realisation that the mandate and operational framework of the committee are tasking and wide ranging.

“It requires enhanced funding that would facilitate their operations for empirically observable outcome. 

“After a sober reflection, we embraced the view that the committee should be transformed into an agency or commission.

“It will be reminiscent of other parastatals under the purview of Federal Ministry of Justice. 

“To drive our point home, the management of Ministry shall convey to the National Assembly after endorsement by the Federal Executive Council.”

He noted that terrorism and allied violent extremism like kidnapping, banditry, human trafficking, cattle rustling, communal clashes, and sex for marks keep resonating in the country. 

He said,  “Our Departments of public prosecution, legal services, civil litigation and administration of criminal lustice Act keep working round the clo’ck in concert with security agencies and court of competent jurisdictions to address these ugly features of our national iife. 

“In a heterogeneous society such as ours, frictions are apt to arise. Given this, reconciliation, peace building, and deterrents are paramount.”

He added that paucity of funds remained a notorious challenge and that his ministry would not relent on what it had set out to accomplish largely because the rule of law remained  undoubtedly the pillar of democracy the world over. 

He said, “Distinguished committee members, the rule of law is good and noble but greatly capital intensive.

“At the home front, judgement debt kept mounting, threat to peace, breaches of the peace, outside aggressions and allied reprehensible violence, extremism have all combined to constitite suffocating legal challenges with attendant mounting financial demands in servicing them. 

“It is in public domain that we are today contending with P&ID judgment prompting us to swiftly moved to action to save the country from a $9.6B judgement debt.

“I want to state on record that no budgetary provision existed as it relates to contentious issues relating to the defence of the Federal Government for the purpose of setting aside this  quoted  demand and others. 

“This is a clear sign and demonstration of the fact that the Federal Ministry of Justice work under a very difficult circumstances for the purpose of addressing issues with huge financial demands.

“These lead to  circumstances where no budgetary provision exists for the purpose of addressing the challenges that kept arising day-in-day-out. 

“In any event, there is a glimmer of hope within the foreseeable future we shall triumph over this hazard of international conspiracy and dramatic irony that is packaged for the purpose of creating serious economic setback for the country.

“There are several protocols and agreements which Nigeria is obligated that requires constant travels to keep faith at these fora.


The Chairman of the Senate panel, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said  officials of the Justice ministry would soon be summoned on the issue of the P&ID.

He said,  “The (Senate) Committee is worried about the judgement debt profile of the country which keeps soaring by the day as there are no corresponding  budgetary allocations to handle such and it is a matter of concern to the Committee. 

“It is on record that the last allocation the Ministry got for judgement debt was in the 2017 Appropriation Act where the sum of N10 Billion was appropriated. 

“The Committee is deeply concerned with the failure of our government  to service its judgement debt as expected, which has put our image before the international community at stake. 

“The Committee would strive to ensure that budgetary provisions are made in order to offset the debt burden. 

“I am a bit talking about $9.6B of P&ID because as far as we are concerned, it isn’t a legitimate and credible debt.

“Let me emphasise that there  shouldn’t be misunderstanding of the intention of the Senate. 

“Our motive isn’t investigation but we felt that as the Senate and as elected representatives of the people, beyond what we read on pages of the newspapers, we should hear directly from stakeholders who are in charge of the agencies . 

“So far I want to assure you that from what we are hearing, the Ministry has been on top of the situation.”

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