There is a growing outrage after the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission spent N54 million to sponsor five judges on a foreign trip to the United Kingdom.

The trip, which is believed to be for the 42nd International Symposium on Economic Crime held at Jesus College, Cambridge, under the auspices of the Centre of Geopolitics of the University of Cambridge, took place between August 31 and September 7, 2025.

According to data from GovSpend, a civic tech platform that tracks Federal Government expenditure, the anti-graft agency made the payment on August 27, 2025, to facilitate the participation of the judges in the international event.

Reacting, Country Director of Amnesty International in Nigeria, Isa Sanusi, described the development as a “complete breakdown of ethics.”

He warned that such sponsorship could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.

“This is a complete breakdown of ethics. Judges should not be taking money or getting sponsorships from EFCC. I believe that this will raise a lot of questions about the credibility of those judges because judges always handle EFCC cases.

“This is really unfortunate. I believe that the NJC (National Judicial Council) should have raised alarm and tell the judges that doing so is wrong,” Sanusi said.

He stated that the judiciary must remain above suspicion, adding that any perceived closeness between judges and prosecuting agencies could erode trust in the justice system.

Also reacting, Executive Director of the Centre for Anti-Corruption and Open Leadership, Debo Adeniran, said the move could be interpreted as an attempt to influence judicial outcomes.

“At some level, this can be perceived as a way to bribe the judges so that they would do their bidding when they arraign their suspects in court. It is not expected that EFCC will be sending judges for training. It is a misapplication of funds.”

A Professor of Economics, Sheriffdeen Tella, also questioned the propriety of the sponsorship, noting that such expenses should fall within the judiciary’s budget.

“The judiciary has its budget and such sponsorship should have been captured there. I don’t see why EFCC should be responsible for that.”

Similarly, a Professor of Law and board member of Yiaga Africa, Nnamdi Aduba, described the situation as potentially unethical unless due approval was obtained.

“It is unethical unless they had clearance from the NJC. If they sought permission to assist, that may be understandable. But if they independently selected judges and funded the trip, it raises suspicion,” he said.

However, the EFCC defended the sponsorship and stated that there was nothing improper about the arrangement.

The agency’s Head of Media and Publicity, Dele Oyewale, told Saturday PUNCH that the judges were nominated by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and that the trip was aimed at enhancing their understanding of financial crimes.

“The trip was sponsored to enable the judges and some members of the National Assembly attend the yearly International Symposium on Financial Crimes at Cambridge University, London.

“The judges were nominated by the Chief Justice of Nigeria. There is nothing untoward or illegitimate about it. The symposium was meant to broaden the perspectives of the attendees and deepen their understanding of issues involved in economic and financial crimes.”

Oyewale added that the event typically brings together experts from across the world to share experiences in tackling corruption, stressing that the EFCC should be commended for supporting stakeholder participation.