Lawyers in Enugu North District, Enugu State, staged a protest on Tuesday against the refusal of judges across the zone to revert to physical court proceedings, years after they transitioned to virtual hearings. In a video circulating on Facebook, the lawyers expressed frustration that the continued reliance on virtual sessions has hindered the effective dispensation of justice. They threatened to boycott all virtual court proceedings unless urgent reforms are implemented and judges resume physical sittings.
Protest Across Five Judicial Divisions
According to Premium Times, the lawyers were drawn from five judicial divisions in Nsukka Zone: Nsukka, Obollo-Afor, Enugu-Ezike, Ogbede, and Umulokpa. Speaking during the coordinated protest across these divisions, Sunday Agbo, Chairman of the Nsukka Branch of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), explained that judges initially switched to virtual proceedings due to insecurity in the area.
“We all welcomed that; we accepted it hoping that things would improve. For three years now, clerks from the various courts have been using their mobile phones to video the judges in the form of conducting virtual hearings,” Agbo said. He noted that this arrangement has forced lawyers to sit side-by-side with opposition witnesses during cross-examination, occasionally leading to threats of physical confrontation.
Demand for Better Facilities
Agbo urged the Enugu State Government to equip all courtrooms with modern facilities to make virtual proceedings efficient. “We are not saying that virtual hearings should be stopped. But we are saying that let these judicial divisions be equipped with modern facilities that will make virtual proceedings efficient,” he stated.
Lawyers Threaten to Shut Down Courts
Another protester, Frank Agbowo, told Premium Times that judges switched to virtual hearings due to frequent kidnapper attacks along the Ugwogo-Opi-Nsukka Road, which they must travel from Enugu metropolis to access the Nsukka area. Agbowo argued that the virtual arrangement has not served justice due to several inadequacies.
“Sometimes, the judge needs to watch the witnesses, the behaviour of parties during the proceedings to determine how he or she is going to make his or her decision. Again, when we will file our case here and the clerk will find a way to send the file to Enugu,” he said. He added that network disruptions often prevent lawyers from hearing judges, and documents cannot be properly examined during virtual sessions.
Agbowo contended that virtual proceedings are acceptable only for minor cases like pre-trial motions, not substantive matters. He recalled that letters had been written to authorities, including Governor Peter Mbah and the state chief judge, but the situation persists. The protest is the first step by the NBA leadership in the zone, with a second step being a boycott of all court sessions. “All the courts in the zone will be grounded. We are shutting down the courts until those judges resume physical sittings,” he warned.
