Nigeria, March 27 -- Vice President Kashim Shettima has cautioned against judicial blackmail, urging the judiciary to remain steadfast in upholding justice without succumbing to political or personal pressures.

Speaking at the inaugural Body of Benchers Annual Lecture in Abuja on Wednesday, Mr Shettima described the judiciary as a critical pillar of Nigeria's sovereignty and warned against any attempt to manipulate the law.

"Laws are not mere technicalities; they are the scaffolding of civilisation. Without laws, there is no order. Without order, there is no society. Every time justice is delayed, every time the law is bent to serve the interests of agents of anarchy, and every time institutions waver in the face of blackmail, we erode ...