The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Ibadan Branch has given seven days notice to the Oyo State Judiciary to suspend or withdraw the provision of pre action protocol in Order 3 of the new Civil Rules over hike in various filing fees.
LoyalNigerianlawyer reports that they also resolved that if the Judiciary fails to suspend and /or withdraw the Pre-Action Protocol, the Bar will engage in total boycott of all the courts in Oyo State.
This notice which was contained in a letter addressed to the Honourable Chief Judge, Hon. Justice Iyabo Subulade Yerima was entitled “Need to Suspend and/or Withdraw the Pre-action Protocol as Contained in Order 3 of Oyo State High Court (Civil Procedure) Rules 2022. And Practice Directions on Pre-action, Protocol Specific Claim, Review of Filing Fees and Other Adminsitrative Fees Payable to the Oyo State Judiciary.”
According to the letter signed by letter the Chairman Mrs Folasade Aladeniyi and Mr Olakunle Akintola, Esq.Secretary
“We wish to place it on record that, the Bar also resolved at the said November monthly general meeting that the Oyo State Judiciary should as a matter of urgency consider a downward review of the prohibitive and exorbitant filing fees and other administrative charges enshrined in the new Oyo State High Court Civil Procedure Rules 2022 payable by courts’ users. Also, the recent increment in the fees for commissioning an Affidavit on the new E-Affidavit Platform put in place by the Oyo State Judiciary which was discovered to have been recently increased from NI,000 One Thousand, One Hundred Naira) to N2,500(Two Thousand, Five Hundred Naira) be reviewed downward.”
NBA stated this in their resolve after considering the report of the Bar-Bench Forum meeting held with the leadership of the Oyo State Judiciary on the 31st day of October 2023 at their Monthly General Meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association, Ibadan Branch held on 4th November. 2023 at the Aare Afe Babalola Bar Centre, lyaganku, Ibadan.
They maintained that “the reason for the Bar’s resolution is aptly captured in the fact that, the existence of the said Pre-Action Protocol now limits and hinders the Constitutional Right of the litigants and the Legal Practitioners to access the Court to seek legal redress
