The members of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) on Monday boycotted court proceedings to protest policies introduced by the Ogun state judiciary, following unsuccessful efforts to engage the judiciary over policies the association considered unfavourable to lawyers and court users.
Penpushing reports that the court proceedings were disrupted across Ogun State.as the three-day boycott commenced, organized by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Abeokuta, Sagamu and Ota
The chairman of Abeokuta branch of the association, Kayode Aderemi, led officials to enforce the boycott at the Isabo High Court and the Judiciary Complex in Kobape, Abeokuta, while some lawyers from outside Ogun State as well as litigants, were reportedly unaware of the action, leaving many stranded after arriving for scheduled court proceedings.
Penpushing further reports that Aderemi emphasized that the boycott followed unsuccessful efforts to engage the judiciary over policies the association considered unfavourable to lawyers and court users.
“The boycott is in protest against certain policies of the Ogun State judiciary, which we believe are inimical to the interests of our members. Some of these policies include the payment of a N100,000 virtual hearing fee. This means that any litigant who wishes to have a matter heard virtually must pay N100,000 for each virtual session’, he said.
“Also, the increase in the oath administration fee from N200 to over N1,500. Our clients have complained about this increase, and it has also affected legal practitioners, who are constantly being questioned by their clients’, chairman added.
Penpushing also reports that Aderemi, however, cited the restriction limiting lawyers to processing only four witness oaths per day, saying it would delay cases involving numerous witnesses.
“If I have 15 or more witnesses in a case, what happens? We believe this policy unjustifiably limits lawyers in carrying out their professional duties,” he said.
Penpushing reports that he pointed out that compliance with the boycott was almost total among lawyers within the jurisdiction, except for a few practitioners from outside the state, noting that lawyers within their jurisdiction have recorded almost 100 per cent compliance.
The Chief Registrar of the Ogun State High Court, Olakulehin Oke, however, said the judiciary had not received any official notice of the boycott from any Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branch.
“There has been no official communication from any branch of the Nigerian Bar Association notifying us of any court boycott’, Oke said.
Penpushing further reports that he defended the N100,000 virtual hearing fee, explaining that technology-driven justice delivery required substantial investment in infrastructure and maintenance.
The Chief Registrar noted that technology comes with costs, adding that more than 600 virtual hearings have been successfully conducted across nine of the state’s 11 judicial divisions, and that witnesses had participated virtually from Australia, Canada and the United States, demonstrating the effectiveness of the digital court system.
Penpushing also reports that Oke equally justified the increase in oath administration fees, attributing it to the judiciary’s electronic affidavit system introduced through a technology partnership.
“Similar systems operate in Oyo, Ondo, Rivers, the Federal Capital Territory and Lagos. Only Lagos charges less than Ogun’, he stated.
Penpushing reports that Oke said, Lagos charges lower fees because of its larger number of court users, making its digital operations more economically sustainable.
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