By Eric Ikhilae, Abuja

Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has warned judges to resist the temptation of taking gifts from litigants and granting favours in the course of their duty.

He said such acts could make them compromise their oath of office.

The CJN urged them to remain committed to the oath they subscribed to and be guided by their conscience, the Constitution and the law in determining cases.

Justice Muhammad spoke yesterday while swearing in 18 newly appointed Justices of the Court of Appeal, including Justice Adebukola Banjoko (from Ogun State), whose conviction of two ex-governors Joshua Dariye and Reverend Jolly Nyame of Plateau and Taraba states) was upheld up to the Supreme Court.

He said: “Many high-profile cases would definitely come to you on appeal, and they may likely come in company of some juicy, irresistible temptations. But I am making it clear to you now that you must flee from such disguised danger.

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“Your reputation and integrity matter much and count enormously in your rise to honour and fame in life.

“Let me point out unambiguously that in life, gifts and wealth that are not worked for, which are, by extension, undeserving, are always wrapped in calamity and destruction.

“Flee from them and keep your heads high above the murky waters of corruption so that you can be conveniently counted among the very best in the Nigerian judiciary.

“You must, against all odds, conduct your affairs within the ambit of the law and the oath that has just been administered on you.

“If you were hitherto 50 per cent under public scrutiny, I can assure you now that it has risen to 100 per cent, by virtue of this elevation to the Court of Appeal.

“The tempo and rate of public assessment of your conduct and disposition will now assume astronomical rise.

“You must redouble your effort and dialogue properly with your conscience in order not to fall out of the grace of the Almighty God and the Nigerian people. It takes nothing to join the crowd, but it takes a lot to stand alone with good conscience.”

The CJN noted that the event was the first time such a number of Justices were inaugurated at the same time due to the increasing number of cases in court.