The Benin branch of the Nigerian Bar Association on Tuesday began a boycott of High Court 6 presided over by Justice Courage Ogbebor over alleged high-handedness.
Senior and junior lawyers have complained over the activities of the judge including a situation where she was said to have delayed a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) instructing him to wait for his turn instead of taking his case as practice demands.
“It is against our practice to delay a SAN’s case no matter how many cases before his. But in this case, she kept the SAN till the end of her sitting,” a lawyer stated.
A statement released to journalists on Tuesday by the chairman and Secretary of the branch, Pius Oiwoh and Andrew Lawani, the lawyers said: “At the monthly meeting of the Lion Bar held on the 1st day of August 2021, at the Bar House Complex, Benin City and attended by SANs, Benchers, elders, and leaders of the bar, the general house after reviewing the various complaints of lawyers with regards to the incessant and un-abating harassment, intimidation, outright insults and deliberate embarrassment to counsel appearing before his lordship including SANs and very senior members of the bar, in the presence of clients and would-be clients, resolved unanimously to immediately and totally commence an indefinite boycott of High Court 6, High Court of Justice, Benin presided over by the Hon. Justice Courage Ogbebor.
“Consequently, all members of the Benin Bar are by this notice directed to embark on a total boycott of the said court and are not permitted to carry out any business in the said court till a subsequent review of this directive by the general meeting.
“Any member who flouts this directive under any guise shall be liable to be blacklisted at the branch and made to face its disciplinary committee.”
Repeated calls to the Registrar, Edo State High Court, Benson Osawaru, were not answered and he is yet to reply to a text message sent to his mobile number The PUNCH reports.
