The shutdown of courts is having negative effect on members of the bar, Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Port-Harcourt branch, has said.
Barrister Chidi Ekeh speaking in an interview said that the shutdown of courts was a trying time for all lawyers.
He also said the shutdown was having effect on people whose cases were in court.
The vice chairman of the association said: “It’s a trying moment for us. It’s been so difficult for us that it’s affecting every lawyer, because that is our farm, that’s our business centre. We’re immediate beneficiaries of the court so the lockdown of courts obviously means the lockdown of our business and we can’t earn money … Our farms have been shut down (so we can’t go to court for cases) and we cannot be paid our fee, so it has very negative effect on the bar.”
He however said the shutdown of courts as directed by the Chief Justice of Nigeria and National Judicial Council was important step in containing the coronavirus.
Ekeh however said the courts could be directed to open to hear cases which are “extraordinarily urgent” or cases that are time-bound and restrict number of those who could come to court to avoid spread of the coronavirus according to the exceptions given by National Judicial Council.
The vice chairman said: “The lockdown of courts has a very serious impact on the public particularly those whose matters are in court (and) are time-bound (but) in every general rule there’s always an exception. The National Judicial Council gave exception that (in) matters that are time-bound or extraordinarily urgent matters, they can direct the courts to open where they will restrict the members of the court and those who come to the court to a few persons that they can manage, to avoid the spread (of coronavirus). For such matters, they can open the courts with special arrangement with the court officials and the judge or the chief judge of a state.”
Barrister Ekeh said he would not say with certainty if lawyers would call for reopening of courts.
He said if courts were reopened, lawyers alone would fill the courts and maintaining social distance would be “practical impossibility”, saying it would be difficult to observe social distancing when lawyers would flood registry and the courts.
He said courtrooms were not as wide as churches which could accommodate large number of persons saying just twenty persons could mean that a court could be crowded.
He said although lawyers would want courts reopened, it would be difficult for them to request that the courts be reopened.
Barrister Ekeh however said they were hoping there would be some palliative measures or if they were to call for reopening of courts, it would be on condition that courts would hear maybe three to five cases per day.
On sensitization for lawyers concerning coronavirus, the vice chairman of the lawyers’ association said the group would not carry out special sensitization since lawyers were aware of coronavirus.
He said members of the association would also not need special enlightenment on coronavirus saying that they already know that coronavirus is dangerous.
