Nigeria’s former top judge defended his tenure Friday, declaring all rulings delivered “strictly on merit” without bias, as he called for religious unity to combat the country’s deepening security woes.
Olukayode Ariwoola, who served as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) from 2022 until his retirement in 2024, told Saturday PUNCH in an exclusive interview that his conscience remains unburdened by any sense of wrongdoing after decades on the bench.
“I handled cases strictly on merit throughout my judicial career,” Ariwoola said. “I also served as Chairman of the Armed Robbery Tribunal for about three years at the trial court, where I delivered judgments based on evidence and the law, without bias. Those deserving of conviction were sentenced, and those who should be freed were discharged. I did so with a clear conscience and without regret.”
Ariwoola’s remarks come amid lingering scrutiny of high-profile election rulings during his time at the Supreme Court, where he ascended in 2011 after stints on appeal courts and tribunals in states including Zamfara, Enugu, Port Harcourt and others. Earlier, in 1999, he sat on election petition panels in Zamfara and Enugu, and later on appeal benches across the nation.
Turning to Nigeria’s persistent violence, the ex-CJN dismissed claims of a targeted “Christian genocide,” insisting threats like Boko Haram, kidnappings and terrorism transcend faith lines.
“The Boko Haram issue is not religious. Kidnapping and terrorism have nothing to do with religion,” he stated. “I attend church when I can. My eldest sister, from the same mother, was a Baptist, and I used to go to church with her. There is no Christian song I cannot sing with them. Neither Christians nor Muslims should be against each other because our God is a God of peace.”
Ariwoola urged Nigerians to bridge divides, warning that ethnic and sectarian rifts only exacerbate the chaos gripping Africa’s most populous nation, where insurgents and bandits have killed thousands and displaced millions in recent years.
His appeal echoes broader pleas from leaders for cohesion, even as the federal government ramps up military operations and community outreach to quell unrest in the northeast and northwest.
