Ogun lawyers boycott court over N100,000 virtual hearing fee

Lawyers under the Nigerian Bar Association in Abeokuta, Sagamu and Ota on Monday commenced a three-day boycott of court proceedings to protest what they described as unfavourable policies introduced by the Ogun State judiciary, including a N100,000 charge for virtual court hearings.

Speaking with journalists after monitoring compliance across the magistrates’ and high courts in Abeokuta, the chairman of the NBA, Abeokuta Branch, Chief Kayode Aderemi, said the decision followed repeated but unsuccessful engagements with the judiciary.

He said the lawyers were protesting the introduction of a N100,000 fee for virtual hearings, the increase in oath administration fees, and restrictions placed on the processing of affidavits.

Aderemi 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, 6th July 2026, through 8th July 2026.

“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 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.

“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.”

The NBA chairman said the association had made several efforts to resolve the dispute without success.

He said, “For instance, we have written formally as a branch. Other NBA branches in Ogun State have also written on these issues.

“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.”

Aderemi said the boycott was being observed by the Abeokuta, Ota and Sagamu branches of the NBA, adding that monitoring indicated a high level of compliance.

However, the Chief Registrar of the Ogun State High Court, Mr Olakulehin Oke, said the judiciary had not received any official notification of the boycott from any NBA branch.

He said the judiciary only became aware of the action through social media.

He said, “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.”

Responding to concerns over the N100,000 virtual hearing fee, the Chief Registrar said the provision was introduced under the High Court of Ogun State (Civil Procedure) Rules 2024 after consultations with NBA branches in the state.

He said draft rules were circulated to all five NBA branches, but only one responded, pointing out typographical errors.

Oke said virtual hearings were optional and designed to enhance access to justice rather than replace physical court sittings.

He said, “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 eleven judicial divisions in Ogun State, and more than 600 virtual hearings have been successfully conducted.”

He added that witnesses had testified virtually from countries including Australia, Canada and the United States, reducing travel costs and logistical challenges.

Oke also defended the increase in affidavit-related charges, saying it was part of the judiciary’s digitalisation initiative through the OgunComis electronic affidavit platform.

He said the platform was introduced to curb forgery, eliminate cash transactions and improve document authentication, noting that similar systems were in use in several states, including Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, Rivers and the Federal Capital Territory.

On the restriction on affidavits, Oke clarified that the limitation applied only to general affidavits and not to those connected to court proceedings.

He said, “There are two categories of affidavits. Court process affidavits, which include witness statements on oath and affidavits connected with pending cases, have no restriction whatsoever.

“The limitation applies only to general affidavits such as change of name, declaration of age and loss of documents. The policy was introduced to curb abuse, reduce fraudulent activities and enhance security.”

The Chief Registrar described the boycott as unfortunate, insisting that discussions were ongoing through the Bar and Bench Forum.

He said, “The last meeting was held last month. Some of these issues were raised, and we had conversations around them with the chairmen and secretaries of the five NBA branches.

“For us to now wake up and see press releases without any official communication with the judiciary smacks of an ambush.

“The legal profession is a profession of ethics and protocols. The Bar and the Bench are partners in the administration of justice, and where there are disagreements, we should always sit down and resolve them through dialogue.”