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Introduction
The principle of rule of law provides for the equality for all citizens of a nation regardless of age, status, religion, and ethnicity. The legal system, therefore, plays a very critical role in the maintenance of law and order to ensure peace, justice and development. To maintain peace and justice adequately, the judicial arm of government is charged with the responsibility of defending and upholding the rule of law and the entire structure and institutions that form or make up the legal system (George, 2005).
Thus, the fundamental role of the judiciary (through the court) is to uphold the constitution and protect the constitutional rights of every single individual of a nation by integrating, constructing and applying laws in resolving disputes and checkmating any transgresses (Transparency International, 2009). Lobo (2012) noted that the judiciary is the ultimate interpreter of constitution and is also an institution that clearly defines the scope and limit of powers of other arms of government. Bayır (2013) also noted that the judiciary is the last hope of a common man because it is an institution that guarantees equal access to justice. Onyekachi (2012) also observed that the judiciary plays an unquantifiable role in the administration of justice, decides the outcomes of elections if challenged by defeated and aggrieved candidates, determines the legality of various kinds of behaviour referred to it by litigants, plays an active role in impeachment proceedings and actively participates in corruption investigation and prosecution.
However, these roles and functions performed by the judiciary in Nigeria have been a subject of debate and questioning due to the widespread of allegation of bribery and corruption among the juries and other court officials in the recent past years. The recent clamp-down on the judiciary leading to the arrest and dismissal of some justices opened up the pervasive level of bribery and corruption within the system (Bazuaye and Oriakhogba, 2016). The institution of the judiciary, as many had described is the holiest amongst all; however, reports have revealed that like other sectors in the country, corruption has eaten very deep into the core of judiciary (NBS and UNODC, 2017), which is seen as the last hope of common man. It is against this background that this paper aims to examine the...