Judicial activities in parts of Ogun State have been disrupted as members of the Nigerian Bar Association in Abeokuta, Ota and Sagamu commenced a three-day boycott of courts in protest against some policies introduced by the Ogun State Judiciary.
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The boycott, which began on Monday, July 6, 2026, is expected to continue until Wednesday, July 8, 2026.
Courts in Abeokuta, the state capital, Ota and Sagamu were affected, including the judiciary complex housing the Ogun State High Court.
The lawyers said the boycott was in protest against policies they described as inimical to the interests of legal practitioners, litigants and access to justice in the state.
Chairman of the NBA Abeokuta Branch, Kayode Aderemi, said members resolved at a branch meeting to embark on the boycott after repeated efforts to resolve the issues with the leadership of the state judiciary allegedly failed.
“We are here today because members of our branch, by resolution at our branch meeting, resolved to embark on a three-day court boycott, beginning today, 6th July 2026, through 8th July 2026,” Aderemi said.
According to him, the first major grievance is the payment of a ₦100,000 virtual hearing fee for each virtual court session.
He said the fee means that any litigant who wishes to have a matter heard virtually must pay ₦100,000 per session.
Aderemi also faulted the increase in the oath administration fee from ₦200 to over ₦1,500, saying clients had complained about the increase and lawyers were being constantly questioned over the new charges.
“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,” he said.
The NBA chairman further raised concern over what he described as restrictions placed on lawyers in processing oaths.
According to him, lawyers are currently unable to process more than four witness oaths in one day.
He questioned how lawyers handling cases involving several witnesses would be expected to function under such a restriction.
“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?” he said.
“We believe this policy unjustifiably limits the ability of lawyers to carry out their professional duties. These and other related issues are the reasons we have declared this courts’ boycott.”
Aderemi said the grievances had been communicated to the state judiciary through formal letters, branch interventions and discussions at Bar and Bench meetings.
He said senior members of the Bar had also approached judicial officers in an effort to resolve the concerns.
“Yes, absolutely. We have done everything reasonably expected of us; for instance, we have written formally as a branch. Other NBA branches in Ogun State have also written on these issues,” he said.
“Beyond that, we have raised these concerns during the Bar and Bench Meetings, where branch chairmen, branch secretaries, administrative judges, and the Chief Judge are all present. We have discussed these matters repeatedly.
“In addition, respected senior members of the Bar have approached Their Lordships in an effort to resolve these issues. Unfortunately, all these efforts have proved unsuccessful.”
He said, to the best of his knowledge, the boycott was being observed by the NBA Abeokuta, Ota and Sagamu branches.
Aderemi added that the responsibility of the branch was to direct its members in line with the resolution reached, not to compel the courts to comply.
He said monitoring conducted in courts showed near-total compliance by lawyers within the jurisdiction, although a few lawyers from outside the state may not have been aware of the boycott.
“To the best of my knowledge, the boycott is being observed by the NBA Abeokuta Branch, the NBA Ota Branch, and the NBA Sagamu Branch,” he said.
“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.”
Reacting to the development, the Chief Registrar of the Ogun State High Court, Oke-Olakunlehin Lukmon, said the judiciary was not officially informed of the boycott.
He said the judiciary became aware of the boycott through social media.
“Officially, we have not been informed. As I speak, there has been no official communication from any branch of the Nigerian Bar Association notifying us of any courts’ boycott, whatever the reason may be,” Lukmon said.
“We became aware of the boycott the same way many others did — through social media.”
The Chief Registrar said there are established channels through which issues involving the Bar and Bench can be addressed.
On the virtual hearing fee, Lukmon said virtual hearings were introduced under the High Court of Ogun State Civil Procedure Rules 2024 after draft copies were circulated to all five NBA branches in the state for comments and recommendations.
He said four of the five branches did not respond, while the only branch that responded merely pointed out typographical errors.
According to him, virtual hearings are not mandatory but optional, and are intended for cases where witnesses or parties cannot physically appear in court.
“It is important to note that virtual hearings are not mandatory. They are optional and intended for situations where, for one reason or another, witnesses cannot physically appear in court,” he said.
He explained that technology comes with costs, adding that the establishment, operation and maintenance of virtual court facilities require significant investment.
Lukmon said virtual courtrooms had been installed in nine of the eleven judicial divisions in Ogun State and that more than 600 virtual hearings had been conducted.
He said witnesses had testified virtually from countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, thereby reducing the cost and inconvenience of international travel.
According to him, the purpose of virtual hearings is to improve access to justice, enhance efficiency and reduce the overall cost of litigation.
He stressed that litigants who prefer physical court attendance remain free to do so.
On the increase in affidavit and oath fees, Lukmon said the judiciary introduced the OgunComis platform, also known as the electronic affidavit system, to address challenges of forgery, corruption and lack of verification in the administration of oaths.
He said the platform allows affidavits to be authenticated, eliminates cash transactions, reduces opportunities for corruption and enables users to complete the process online.
The Chief Registrar explained that the judiciary partnered with a technology company to implement the system, adding that similar platforms operate in other jurisdictions including Oyo, Ondo, Rivers, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory.
He said Ogun’s affidavit fees are still lower than most comparable jurisdictions, except Lagos, which has a higher volume of users.
Lukmon also addressed the complaint about restrictions on lawyers processing more than four oaths per day.
According to him, the restriction applies only to general affidavits and not to court process affidavits.
He explained that court process affidavits include witness statements on oath and affidavits connected with pending court proceedings, while general affidavits include documents such as affidavits for change of name, declaration of age, loss of documents and confirmation of ownership.
“For court process affidavits, lawyers face absolutely no restriction. They may file as many witness statements on oath and related court processes as required in any case,” he said.
“The limitation applies only to general affidavits.”
He said the four-per-day limit was introduced to curb abuse, reduce fraudulent activities and enhance security, since general affidavits are generated from standard templates that members of the public can complete themselves.
Lukmon maintained that the restriction does not affect the core litigation work of legal practitioners.
He added that some of the issues raised by the lawyers had already been discussed with the judiciary through the Bar and Bench Forum.
The boycott comes amid continuing tension between lawyers and the Ogun State Judiciary over the cost and implementation of digital court processes.
While the NBA insists that the policies impose hardship on lawyers and litigants and obstruct access to justice, the judiciary maintains that the reforms are part of a broader digitalisation agenda aimed at improving transparency, efficiency and accountability in court administration.
The development is expected to affect court sittings and litigants whose matters are listed during the three-day boycott period unless the parties reach a resolution before the end of the action.
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