Tinubu made the call on Tuesday in Abuja at the eighth annual capacity-building workshop for judges and justices, organised by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in collaboration with the National Judicial Institute (NJI).
The President, who was represented by Vice-President Kashim Shettima, urged judges to assess existing legal frameworks against emerging forms of financial crime and ensure that influential individuals could not exploit technicalities to evade justice.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Communications said Tinubu emphasised the need for a justice system capable of responding effectively to evolving criminal tactics.
“Probe prosecution strategies, dismantle outdated precedents, and seal procedural gaps that politically exposed persons and organised crime actors exploit to delay or frustrate trial,” the President said.
He described economic and financial crimes as an existential threat to Nigeria, warning that corruption affected every arm of government and society, regardless of the status of those involved.
Tinubu said the fight against corruption should not be treated as the responsibility of the executive alone, noting that compromised public institutions affected the executive, legislature, judiciary and ordinary citizens.
He characterised the anti-corruption campaign as a struggle for the country’s collective survival and called for a justice system that prioritised the public interest.
“We must no longer permit legal pyrotechnics and procedural pedantry to shelter criminality.
“The Bench is not merely a mechanical arbiter of rules, but an active guardian of moral order and social equity,” he said.
The President added that the law should serve broader societal interests rather than allow individuals to hide behind procedural manoeuvres.
“Our courts must embody the spirit, and not just the arid letter, of the law,” he said, stressing that meaningful progress against corruption required an independent and reform-oriented judiciary.
Tinubu also highlighted the growing complexity of economic and financial crimes, particularly those involving digital technologies, blockchain and artificial intelligence.
He described the workshop’s theme, “Investigation and Prosecution of Economic and Financial Crimes in a Digital Age,” as timely, given the increasing sophistication of criminal activities.
According to him, advances in technology have expanded the reach of illicit actors and introduced new challenges for investigators, prosecutors and judicial officers.
He urged law enforcement agencies and the judiciary to strengthen their technical expertise and adapt continuously to changing criminal methods.
The President commended the EFCC for its efforts against cryptocurrency-related fraud, citing the recovery and forfeiture of digital assets as evidence of the commission’s activities in the sector.
He said that in 2025, the agency secured the forfeiture of $22,417.91 in Bitcoin, 1,001,301.87 USDT in digital assets and $5.6m linked to the CBEX scheme.
Tinubu also said 192 foreign nationals arrested over alleged cyber-terrorism and cryptocurrency fraud were prosecuted and deported.
He urged the judiciary to build on the efforts of law enforcement agencies by strengthening its capacity to handle cases involving digital evidence and emerging technologies.
The President further disclosed that the EFCC filed 14,476 cases and secured 10,872 convictions during the first 34 months of his administration, representing a conviction-to-filing ratio of 75.1 per cent.
He added that the commission recorded 1,370 convictions from 1,889 cases filed in the first half of 2026.
Tinubu said the EFCC recovered N1.233tn, $684.48m, £373,905.78 and €9.34m in monetary assets during the period under review.
He praised the commission’s efforts to tackle cryptocurrency fraud and recover virtual assets, saying the judiciary needed to increase its capacity to keep pace with changing criminal techniques.
“The EFCC’s recent momentum in tackling cryptocurrency fraud and its commendable strides in recovering virtual assets is highly reassuring,” he said.
Tinubu also acknowledged the reform efforts of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, and pledged the executive’s support for equipping the judiciary to deliver justice in the digital era.
Speaking at the event, Kekere-Ekun said the workshop reflected the commitment of the NJI and the EFCC to addressing challenges confronting the justice system.
She noted that technological developments had transformed the way digital evidence was obtained, preserved and presented, requiring judicial officers to adapt their approaches to handling cases.
According to her, effective criminal justice in the digital age depends on disciplined case management and sustained professional training.
The CJN added that continuous judicial education had contributed to improvements in the conduct of judicial officers, particularly in case management.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Emmanuel Udende, said the workshop was timely in view of the increasing sophistication of financial crimes.
He highlighted the difficulties associated with cases involving politically exposed persons and their implications for the timely administration of justice.
Udende assured participants that the National Assembly would support anti-corruption efforts through proactive legislation.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, represented by the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, said tackling corruption required cooperation among all three arms of government.
He urged judges and legal practitioners to use the workshop to improve the quality of investigations and ensure more diligent prosecutions.
The Administrator of the NJI, Justice Babatunde Adejumo, described the partnership between the institute and the EFCC as an important component of efforts to combat financial crimes.
He said the Vice-President’s attendance demonstrated the administration’s commitment to the anti-corruption campaign.
Meanwhile, EFCC Chairman Ola Olukoyede described the workshop as a national imperative, citing the need for the justice system to respond to evolving forms of financial crime.
Olukoyede said the commission had recorded significant convictions and recoveries under his leadership over the preceding three years.
He also assured participants that recovered funds and assets would be managed transparently and judiciously.
