The Federal Government has started work on legislation that would transform the Code of Conduct Tribunal into a National Anti-Corruption Court with nationwide reach and a broader mandate to hear corruption cases.
The proposal, described as an executive bill, is being developed with the National Assembly through the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation. It would convert the existing quasi-judicial body into a full court with seven judicial divisions across the country.
The tribunal now hears cases referred by the Code of Conduct Bureau against public officers accused of breaching the code of conduct, including failure to declare assets and abuse of office. It has previously handled high-profile matters involving President Bola Tinubu, former Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen and former Senate President Bukola Saraki.
President Tinubu appointed Dr. Mainasara Kogo as chairman on 20 January 2025. According to a statement from the tribunal’s acting director of litigation, Yahaya Laraski, the new leadership has aligned the chairman’s status with that of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court and that of tribunal members with Federal High Court judges.
Kogo’s panel inherited more than 1,037 pending cases, some outstanding for five to ten years. The chairman ordered those files returned to the Code of Conduct Bureau for review; the tribunal is waiting for the bureau’s decision on which matters should proceed.
Only six new cases were filed by the bureau between December 2025 and May 2026. Laraski said the tribunal has since adopted a practice of listing and disposing of newly filed matters within a week. By 10 July 2026, when the tribunal began its annual vacation, no cases from the bureau remained unattended.
New practice directions have been drafted to incorporate provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act. Those drafts have been sent to the Chief Justice of Nigeria, the Supreme Court, the Code of Conduct Bureau chairman, the Attorney-General and the Director of Public Prosecutions.
In recent proceedings the tribunal has issued orders freezing accounts and temporarily forfeiting assets belonging to individuals and companies.
Laraski said the volume of work still depends entirely on what the Code of Conduct Bureau chooses to refer. He also cited chronic underfunding: the tribunal’s N2 billion budget is rarely fully released. The chairman has no official residence or vehicle, and many directors lack official cars. Staff also need furniture, ICT equipment and further training.
Two of three properties that had been illegally sold have been recovered: the chairman’s official residence and the north-eastern zonal office in Bauchi.
Administratively, seven new departments have been created in addition to the existing three. Outstanding staff promotions have been processed, 13 new allowances introduced, and staff have attended more than 20 training programmes in the past year.
The bill that would formally change the tribunal’s name and structure remains under discussion with the relevant federal authorities.
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