…the judiciary has not received any official communication from the NBA -Chief Registrar
Lawyers in Ogun State have protested what they described as “harmful” policies introduced by the judiciary, vowing to boycott court proceedings for three days.
TRIPOD TIMES reports that the lawyers are kicking against a ₦100,000 fee for virtual hearings, an increase in oath administration fee from ₦200 to over ₦1,500, and restrictions limiting lawyers to processing only four witness oaths per day.
The boycott, which was enforced by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ota, crippled judicial activities in some courts across the Ogun state.
The action however came as a shock to many litigants and lawyers from outside the state.
The association’s Chairman in Abeokuta, Kayode Aderemi, led officials of the branch to enforce compliance at courtrooms at the state judiciary complex, Kobape and Isabo in the heart of the city.
Addressing newsmen, the NBA Chairman informed that they have exhausted moves to dialogue with the judiciary leadership and the Chief Judge.
Aderemi said, “the boycott is in protest against certain policies of the Ogun State Judiciary, which we believe are inimical to the interests of our members. ”
“First, the payment of a ₦100,000 virtual hearing fee. This means any litigant who wishes to have a matter heard virtually must pay ₦100,000 for each session.
Second, the increase in oath administration fee from ₦200 to over ₦1,500. Our clients have complained about this and it has also affected us as lawyers who are constantly being questioned.
He added: “Third, lawyers cannot process more than four witness oaths in a single day. If I have 15 or more witnesses in a case, what happens? This unjustifiably limits our ability to carry out our professional duties.”
Aderemi emphasized that compliance within the jurisdiction was almost 100 per cent, saying “a few lawyers from outside may not have been aware.”
The Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Olakulehin Oke, in a reaction let out the judiciary had not received any official communication from the NBA regarding the boycott.
He however maintained that the ₦100,000 virtual sitting fee, is a price you have to pay for new technology, which does not come cheap.
“Establishing, maintaining, and operating virtual court facilities requires significant investment. Since the introduction, virtual courtrooms have been installed in nine of the 11 judicial divisions and over 600 virtual hearings have been conducted.
“We have had witnesses testify from Australia, Canada, and the United States. Many litigants have benefited,” he said.
On the oath fee hike, Oke explained it followed the digitalisation of the judiciary through an electronic affidavit system in partnership with a tech company.
He added that similar systems operate in Oyo, Ondo, Rivers, FCT and Lagos, noting that “only Lagos charges less than Ogun because it has a larger volume of users as the busiest judicial jurisdiction in Nigeria.
