Court proceedings were disrupted across Ogun State on Monday as lawyers commenced a three-day boycott of court sittings to protest some policies introduced by the state judiciary.

The boycott, organised by the Nigerian Bar Association branches in Abeokuta, Sagamu and Ota, began on Monday and affected proceedings in several courts across the state.

At the Isabo High Court and the Judiciary Complex in Kobape, Abeokuta, officials of the NBA Abeokuta Branch, led by the branch Chairman, Kayode Aderemi, moved round to enforce compliance with the boycott.

Some lawyers from outside Ogun State and litigants who were unaware of the action were reportedly stranded after arriving in court for scheduled proceedings.

Aderemi said the boycott followed failed attempts by the NBA branches to engage the Ogun State judiciary over policies the association considered unfavourable to lawyers, litigants and court users.

According to him, one of the major grievances is the introduction of a N100,000 fee for virtual hearings.

“The boycott is in protest against certain policies of the Ogun State judiciary, which we believe are inimical to the interests of our members,” he said.

“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.

“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.”

Aderemi also criticised the restriction limiting lawyers to processing only four witness oaths per day, saying the policy could delay cases involving many 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.

He added that compliance with the boycott was almost total among lawyers practising within the jurisdiction, except for a few lawyers from outside the state who were unaware of the action.

However, the Chief Registrar of the Ogun State High Court, Olakulehin Oke, said the judiciary had not received any official notice of the boycott from any NBA branch.

“There has been no official communication from any branch of the Nigerian Bar Association notifying us of any court boycott,” Oke said.

He defended the N100,000 virtual hearing fee, saying technology-driven justice delivery required significant investment in infrastructure and maintenance.

According to him, the state judiciary has successfully conducted more than 600 virtual hearings across nine of its 11 judicial divisions.

Oke said witnesses had participated virtually from countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, which he said showed the effectiveness of the digital court system.

He also justified the increase in oath administration fees, saying it was linked 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 said.

The Chief Registrar explained that Lagos charges lower fees because it has a larger number of court users, making its digital operations more economically sustainable.

Despite the judiciary’s defence, the NBA branches maintained that the affected policies were burdensome and capable of limiting access to justice for litigants and frustrating lawyers in the discharge of their professional duties.

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