When Justice Waits Too Long: The Cost of Delay in Nigerian Courts

By P.L. Osakwe

The courtroom should be a sanctuary where justice flows swiftly, guided by the rule of law and powered by conscience. But for many Nigerians, the courts have become a theatre of waiting — years, sometimes decades, for decisions that ought to come in months. Behind every delayed judgment is a life on pause, a business that collapsed, a widow who couldn't reclaim her late husband’s property, or a wrongly accused man who spent his youth in prison.

■ The Legal Framework vs. Lived Reality

Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) guarantees the right to a fair hearing within a reasonable time. But what is "reasonable" when civil suits last 7–15 years and criminal trials drag on endlessly through adjournments, transfers, and judicial vacations?

The Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 was a legislative response to this crisis. It aimed to eliminate delay by mandating day-to-day trials, reducing adjournments, and curbing frivolous interlocutory appeals. Yet, these reforms have not fully translated into reality across many state courts.

■Human Cost of Judicial Delay

Justice delayed is justice denied, but more than that, it is justice destroyed. When courts delay, people give up on the system. They resort to self-help, mob action, or bribery just to escape the burden of legal limbo. Families break down over unresolved inheritance suits. Entrepreneurs abandon investments because litigation takes too long. And suspects in prison, many of them innocent or charged with bailable offences, rot away for years.

Take the case of Johnson v. State, where the accused spent 11 years awaiting trial. He was finally acquitted.
Also, organisation, Success 360 lead my Cyrus Onu Esq. Got a man acquitted in Port-Harcourt who has been in the police custody for trial for 18 years now, but has no file in Court.

But what does the law offer for the lost years, broken family, and trauma endured? Very little.

■The Courts Are Overwhelmed, But Not Blameless

Yes, Nigerian courts are underfunded. Judges are overburdened. Cases are too many. But inefficiency, bureaucracy, and lack of willpower among judicial actors also fuel the crisis. Some judges entertain avoidable adjournments. Lawyers delay proceedings for strategic advantage. The wheel of justice gets clogged by needless technicalities.

■ A Call for Conscience and Courage

We need more than laws; we need reformers with conscience. Judges must actively manage cases. Lawyers must embrace ethical litigation. Governments must fund the judiciary adequately. And the public must demand accountability.

Justice must not only be done — it must be done on time. Because delayed justice is like cold tea: tasteless, lifeless, and unworthy of a system that calls itself just.