Lawyers Boycott Ogun Courts Over N100,000 Virtual Hearing Fee

Lawyers in Ogun State began a three-day court boycott on Monday over judiciary policies that they say have made legal work harder and more expensive for litigants.

The protest centres on a N100,000 fee for virtual hearings, a rise in the oath administration fee from N200 to more than N1,500, and restrictions on how many witness oaths lawyers can process in a day.

Judicial activities were disrupted in several courts as leaders of Nigerian Bar Association branches in Abeokuta, Sagamu and Ota moved to enforce the boycott.

In Abeokuta, NBA branch chairman Kayode Aderemi led officials around courtrooms at Isabo and the judiciary complex in Kobape. Some litigants and lawyers from outside Ogun were left stranded.

Aderemi said the policies were harmful to lawyers and their clients. He questioned how a lawyer with many witnesses in one case could proceed if only four witness oaths can be processed in a day.

The lawyers are asking the state judiciary to review the fees and restrictions so court users are not priced out or delayed unnecessarily.

Sources: Premium Times; Daily Trust