Court Activities Paralysed, As Ogun State Lawyers Boycott Proceedings

Practicing lawyers in Ogun state on Monday July 6, 2026, commenced a three-day boycott of Court proceedings, with judicial activities severely paralysis, and litigants stranded.

The source reports that the legal practitioners are embarking on the boycott exercise to register their displeasure with  what they described as judicial policies inimical to their interests ,and practice.

Particularly, the lawyers are not comfortable with a new and obnoxious N100,000 fees being charged for virtual sittings, as well as the astronomical increase in the oath administration fee from N200 to N1,500.

The lawyers whose protests are being coordinated and enforced jointly by the Nigerian Bar Association NBA branches of Abeokuta ,Sagamu and Ota,are also angry with judicial authorities over what they perceive as undue restrictions place on lawyers in Ogun State.

The Abeokuta NBA chairman, Kayode Adeyemi who led the enforcement of the courts’ boycott in the capital city on Monday explained that the exercise is to drive home their unhappiness with certain policies introduced by the Ogun State Judiciary, which they view as being inimical to the interests of legal practitioners in the state.

“Some of the policies include: First, the payment of 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.

“Second, 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.

“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  cases what happens? We believe this policy unjustifiably limits the ability of lawyers to carry out their professional duties”, Aderemi stated.

This is as he informed that the boycott of court proceedings became the last resort after several futile attempts to amicably resolve the issues with the authorities.