The Administrator of the National Judicial Institute (NJI), Justice Babatunde Adejumo, has stated that conflicting court judgments in Nigeria should not be interpreted as a sign of judicial collapse, but rather as a natural outcome of a dynamic legal system.
Speaking at an interactive session ahead of the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference in Abuja, the former President of the National Industrial Court said differing outcomes in similar cases arise from judges’ individual assessments of facts, evidence, and the law.
“Judges deliver judgments based on the facts and evidence before them,” he explained.
“Even in the United States, one of the world’s most established judicial systems, state courts frequently reach different conclusions on similar legal issues.”
According to him, such divergences are healthy for legal development and are ultimately harmonised through the appeal process, culminating at the Supreme Court.
“When courts deliver conflicting decisions on the same matter, the appellate courts exist precisely to resolve them. Whatever the Supreme Court finally decides becomes binding on all other courts,” he said.
However, Justice Adejumo cautioned that while judges of coordinate jurisdiction are not bound by one another’s rulings, it would amount to judicial rascality for a lower court to contradict the decision of a superior court.
“Once the Supreme Court has spoken, no division of the Court of Appeal or any lower court should issue a contrary ruling,” he warned.
“At best, they may offer clarity where interpretation is needed.”
He proposed stronger procedural safeguards to discourage parallel filings, suggesting that litigants should be made to swear an affidavit confirming that the same matter has not been initiated in another court, a breach of which, he said, would constitute perjury.
Justice Adejumo also reflected on his three decades on the Bench, recalling how the National Industrial Court evolved into a superior court of record.
“When I took office in 2003, the NIC had only two divisions, Lagos and Abuja, and 123 staff,” he said.
“Through persistent advocacy, we secured the National Industrial Court Act, 2006, and later championed a constitutional amendment that elevated the court’s status.”
The amendment, endorsed by the National Assembly and 33 states, placed the NIC as the fourth-highest court in Nigeria’s hierarchy and granted its president full membership of both the National Judicial Council and the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
“Judges Do Not Manufacture Evidence”
Seeking to dispel misconceptions about the judiciary, he emphasised that judges decide cases strictly on facts, evidence, witnesses, law, and precedent.
“A judge does not embark on a voyage of discovery,” Adejumo said.
“In criminal matters, guilt must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Any doubt must be resolved in favour of the accused. It is better for 100 guilty people to go free than for one innocent person to be wrongly convicted.”
Justice Adejumo reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening judicial education, describing the NJI as the “heartbeat of the Nigerian Judiciary” and a forum that brings together judges, lawyers, journalists, and the public to enhance justice delivery.
He expressed confidence that the 2025 All Nigerian Judges’ Conference would deepen professional knowledge, improve standards, and reinforce public trust in the justice system.
