By Abdulmumini Ashiru
The Federal Government has commenced moves to transform the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, into a full-fledged National Anti-Corruption Court with seven judicial divisions across the country.
The proposed reform is expected to expand the tribunal’s mandate beyond cases arising from alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct for public officers to cover corruption-related offences generally.
The CCT is currently a quasi-judicial body empowered to adjudicate cases involving alleged breaches of the Code of Conduct by public officers, particularly failure to declare assets and abuse of office for personal gain.
The tribunal handles cases investigated and referred to it by the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
Over the years, it has handled several high-profile cases involving senior public officials, including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Chief Justice of Nigeria Walter Onnoghen and former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
President Tinubu appointed Mainasara Kogo as Chairman of the tribunal on January 20, 2025.
In a statement made available to journalists through its Acting Director of Litigation, Yahaya Laraski, the CCT said Kogo was working with the National Assembly through the Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, on legislation to effect the proposed transformation.
According to the statement, the proposed legislation would be presented in the form of an Executive Bill to change the name and status of the tribunal.
Mr Laraski said the proposed National Anti-Corruption Court would operate as a full-fledged court with seven judicial divisions across the country and would have jurisdiction to try corruption-related cases.
“The new leadership has repositioned the status of the Chairman to that of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, and that of members to judges of the Federal High Court,” he said.
1,037 cases inherited
The CCT also disclosed that the Kogo-led panel inherited more than 1,037 pending cases from the previous administration.
Mr Laraski said many of the cases had remained unresolved for between five and 10 years, largely due to the absence of adjudication.
He said the new chairman subsequently directed that all pending cases be returned to the CCB for scrutiny.
“The honourable Chairman directed that all pending cases be referred to the CCB for thorough scrutiny. The CCB is currently reviewing the files and will determine which cases should proceed.
“The Tribunal is awaiting the Bureau’s response,” he said.
The CCT said the review was intended to establish the status and viability of the cases before proceedings are continued.
New rules for proceedings
Mr Laraski also disclosed that the tribunal had drafted new Practice Directions as part of efforts to modernise its procedures.
He said the existing Practice Direction was outdated and did not adequately incorporate provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015, ACJA, and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act, POCA.
According to him, the proposed Practice Directions had been submitted to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, the Supreme Court, the Chairman of the CCB, the AGF and the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation for consideration.
The proposed changes, he said, were intended to streamline proceedings and strengthen the tribunal’s capacity to handle cases involving corruption and proceeds of crime.
CCT records six new cases
The tribunal further disclosed that the CCB filed only six cases before it between December 2025 and May 2026.
Mr Laraski said despite the low number of new cases, the Kogo-led panel had introduced reforms aimed at improving the speed and effectiveness of proceedings.
“Since the assumption of office by the current Chairman, the tribunal has remained active in handling high-profile cases filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau,” he said.
He added that the tribunal had issued orders freezing the accounts of some individuals and companies, as well as orders for the temporary forfeiture of assets in the course of proceedings.
“A new spirit of dispensing with cases has been introduced by the new Chairman, whereby, within a week of any case being filed by the Code of Conduct Bureau, the Chairman directs the tribunal to sit and dispense with it immediately,” Mr Laraski said.
The proposed transformation of the CCT into a National Anti-Corruption Court would require legislative action before the new structure and expanded jurisdiction can take effect.
