Lawyers Protest Judges’ Refusal to Resume Physical Proceedings in Enugu, Threaten Court Shutdown

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Lawyers in Enugu North District, Enugu State, protested on Tuesday the refusal of judges across the zone to hold physical proceedings, years after they had resorted to virtual hearings due to insecurity.

The lawyers, drawn from five judicial divisions in Nsukka Zone — Nsukka, Obollo-Afor, Enugu-Ezike, Ogbede and Umulokpa — threatened to boycott further virtual court proceedings unless urgent reforms were carried out and judges resumed physical sittings.

Speaking during the protest held across the five divisions, the Chairman of the Nsukka Branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sunday Agbo, said the judges had initially switched to virtual proceedings over insecurity along the Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road, which they must travel from Enugu metropolis to access the Nsukka area.

“We all welcomed that; we accepted it hoping that things would improve. For three years now, clerks from the various courts have been using their mobile phones to video the judges in the form of conducting virtual hearings,” Agbo said.

He said the situation had forced lawyers to sit side-by-side with opposition witnesses during cross-examination, in which the witnesses occasionally threaten to beat up a lawyer conducting the examination.

The NBA chairman said the lawyers want the Enugu State Government to adequately equip all courtrooms with the necessary facilities that will make virtual proceedings efficient.

“We are not saying that virtual hearings should be stopped. But we are saying that let these judicial divisions be equipped with modern facilities that will make virtual proceedings efficient,” he stated.

One of the protesting lawyers, Frank Agbowo, told Premium Times that the switch to virtual proceedings had not served the purpose of justice because of some inadequacies of the arrangement.

“Sometimes, the judge needs to watch the witnesses, the behaviour of parties during the proceedings to determine how he or she is going to make his or her decision,” Agbowo said.

He contended that virtual proceedings were acceptable in law but stressed that such arrangements are recommended for minor cases such as pre-trial proceedings and motions, not substantive matters.

The lawyer said the NBA leadership in the zone had decided on a series of escalating actions starting with the protest.

“Secondly, we are not going to attend any court. In fact, all the courts in the zone will be grounded. We are shutting down the courts until those judges resume physical sittings,” he said.

The protest highlights the challenges of Nigeria’s justice system as it grapples with the legacies of security-induced adaptations adopted during the height of the country’s insecurity crisis.

Sources: Premium Times