Confusion filled the air at the Appeal Court in Port Harcourt, Rivers state on Wednesday as thugs descended on the Port Harcourt branch chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Silvester Adaka and other lawyers who wanted to disrupt the court’s proceedings, Igberetvnews reports.
Igberetvnews gathered that the NBA team who stormed the court room to protest were chased away by angry litigants, heightening fear among the judges and other litigants who were in court.
Reacting to the incident, the Presiding Appeal Court Judge, Justice A.A. Gumel said it is unethical for the bar to attempt to disrupt the sitting of the bench, adding that court ought to be respected.
He said: “You have seen people barged into our proceeding. This is incivility. We will not be intimidated. We will do our work. We are here to do a solemn job and we will give justice.
“The bar is entitled to respect the bench and the bench should carry the bar along. If the ethical behaviours handed to us by our fathers are maintained we will make headway.
“It is about all the courts and administration of justice and not just the Appeal Court in Rivers State.”
Another Judge , Justice Isaiah Akeju, noted that the panel was not officially notified of the boycott order by the NBA, adding that notice ought to have been served on the bench in that regard.
He said: “Advice your colleagues that it is not in their best interest to disrupt the sitting of the bench.
“We are not aware because they did not inform us. What stops them from doing a small notice to us on the issue.”
The Port Harcourt NBA Chairman, Sylvester Adaka, said they were in court for the continuation their peaceful boycott of courts as directed by the national secretariat and national executive committee of NBA.
He said while they were at the court of appeal, he addressed the justices of the court of appeal to rise in continuation of NBA peaceful boycott of the court and also appealed to lawyers to leave the court premises.
“But while we were there in court, a couple of thugs in the court premises attacked the lawyers there, the thugs zeroed in on me and a couple of lawyers.
“If not for the intervention of my colleagues around, I don’t know what would have happened.
“The court was sitting and continued sitting even after the attack on us and we felt that in an atmosphere that was charged like that, the court should have at least reasoned to allow tempers cool.”
