In compliance with the directive of the National Executive Council of the Nigerian Bar Association, members of the Ibadan branch of the NBA today boycotted the courts in the ancient city.
In the various courts visited by our reporter, judicial activities were virtually non-existent in obedience to the directives of the National body
The National Executive Council of the NBA had on Monday, Yesterday, directed member of the body nationwide to observe boycott of the courts. This directive is coming on the heels of the suspension n of the Chief Justice of the federation Justice Walter Onnoghen over non declaration of assets and corruption allegations.
Speaking with our reporter in the city of Ibadan, the secretary of the Ibadan branch of the Nigerian Bar Association, Akeem A Okelola, said the Ibadan branch of the association has ensured strict and total compliance with the directives of the national body.
The branch executives who went round the various courts in the city of Ibadan to sensitize members of the body on the directive expressed satisfaction with the compliance level achieved in the city.
According to him, the branch executives went round the courts in the city to sensitize the people; lawyers and judges on the directives. All the courts in the land; the High court, magistrate court, customary courts, Customary Courts of Appeal, the Industrial Court, the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal were visited to ensure compliance. According to him, this sensitization was to enable members understand the necessity to comply with the directive of the National body.
“The two day boycott is just to show the world that the judiciary is an active part of government. Since we have separation of powers, there must be procedure. As much as the substantive law is there, the procedural law is also there. The two must move together. We cannot jump the procedure at the expense of the substantive while you cannot jump the substantive at the expense of the procedure. Both of them must be complied with in order to have the rule of law in place.”
Speaking further, he noted, ‘our own at the NBA level is not just to look at the content. To get the real content you must make the necessary move (procedure). It is the procedure that we are considering. One arm of government should not arm-twist the other. Once the procedure is well followed we don’t have a problem.’
The directive to boycott the courts for two days is a protest against executive over reach and to protect the judicial constituency.
