The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Abeokuta, Sagamu, and Ota branches have commenced a three-day boycott of court proceedings to protest what they described as “inimical policies” recently introduced by the Ogun State judiciary.

Addressing journalists on Monday, the chairman of the NBA, Abeokuta, Kayode Aderemi, said the lawyers’ action was preceded by several diplomatic engagements that failed to produce results.

Mr Aderemi explained that the aggrieved lawyers embarked on the boycott to protest the introduction of a N100,000 fee for virtual hearings, an increase in oath administration fees from N200 to N1,500, and to decry restrictions placed on lawyers during the processing of affidavits.

He said, “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, July 6, to July 8. 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 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. There is also an 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.”

“Thirdly, 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. These and other related issues are the reasons we have declared this court boycott.”

Reacting to the lawyers’ boycott, the chief registrar of the Ogun State High Court, Oke Olakulehin, said the judiciary did not receive any official correspondence from the NBA regarding its decision to embark on the boycott.

“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 court boycott. We became aware of the boycott the same way many others did. Through social media,” Mr Olakulehin said.

The chief registrar stated that the hikes were driven by the need for significant investment to ensure the effective operation of virtual courts in the state.

He explained that the N100,000 fee covered the cost of the technology required to establish and maintain virtual courtrooms.

“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,” he said.

He stated that the increase in the oath administration fee is tied to the digitalisation of affidavits, similar to what is obtainable in Oyo, Ondo, Rivers and Lagos states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“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,” the chief registrar said.