Lawyers Boycott Ogun Courts Over ₦100,000 Virtual Hearing Fee, Other Policies

Lawyers in Ogun State on Monday boycotted court proceedings in protest against some policies of the state judiciary, which they described as “inimical” to their interests.

Some of the policies include a ₦100,000 charge for virtual sittings, an increase in the oath administration fee from ₦200 to over ₦1,500, and restrictions placed on lawyers.

Daily Trust reports that the three-day protest against the policies began on Monday, paralysing judicial activities in many courts across the state.

It was gathered that the court boycott was enforced by the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) branches in Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ota.

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In Abeokuta, the Branch Chairman, Kayode Aderemi, led officials of the branch to enforce the boycott across courtrooms at Isabo and the state judiciary complex in the Kobape area of the metropolis.

Daily Trust reports that some lawyers who were from outside the state, as well as litigants, were caught up in the court boycott, leaving many of them stranded.

Speaking with newsmen, 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.

“Some of these policies include: First, the payment of a ₦100,000 virtual hearing fee. This means that any litigant who wishes to have a matter heard virtually must pay ₦100,000 for each virtual session.

“Second, the increase in the oath administration fee from ₦200 to over ₦1,500. Our clients have complained about this increase, and it has also affected legal practitioners, who are constantly being questioned by their clients.

“Third, there is the issue of restrictions placed on lawyers. As it stands today, lawyers cannot process more than four witness oaths in a single day. The question then is: if I have 15 or more witnesses in a case, what happens?

“We believe this policy unjustifiably limits the ability of lawyers to carry out their professional duties.”

Aderemi said several attempts were made to engage the management of the judiciary and the Chief Judge of Ogun State to address these concerns, but to no avail.

“From our observations, a few lawyers from outside the jurisdiction may not have been aware of the boycott. However, among lawyers within our jurisdiction, we have recorded almost 100 per cent compliance,” he said.

In his response, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, Olakulehin Oke, said there has been no official communication from any branch of the Nigerian Bar Association “notifying us of any court boycott, whatever the reason may be.”

Justifying some of the policies, especially the ₦100,000 virtual sitting charge, Oke said: “Technology comes with costs. Establishing, maintaining, and operating virtual court facilities requires significant investment. Since the introduction of these provisions, virtual courtrooms have been installed in nine of the 11 judicial divisions in Ogun State, and more than 600 virtual hearings have been successfully conducted.

“Many litigants have already benefited from this innovation. We have had witnesses testify from countries such as Australia, Canada, and the United States.”

The Chief Registrar also explained that the oath administration fee was increased due to reforms carried out in the system, especially the digitalisation of the Ogun State Judiciary.

He said the judiciary partnered with a technology company to establish an electronic affidavit system in order to address challenges associated with the administration of oaths.

He said: “Incidentally, this company does not operate only in Ogun State. Similar systems are in operation in Oyo, Ondo, Rivers, the Federal Capital Territory, and Lagos State.

“If you independently compare affidavit fees across these jurisdictions, you will discover that only Lagos State charges less than Ogun State. Lagos is able to charge lower fees because it has a much larger volume of users as the busiest judicial jurisdiction in Nigeria.”

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