On Thursday, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Afam Osigwe (SAN), faulted the increasing cases of judges allegedly bullying lawyers and abusing contempt powers to intimidate legal practitioners.
According to a statement made available to newsmen in Abuja, the NBA said it has received reports of unlawful detention of lawyers by judges in separate incidents in Rivers State and Abuja.
This is as it warned the judges that such actions threaten the administration of justice.
The NBA cited proceedings in Suit No. PHC/301/2016, Mr Bodiseowei Zidougha v. The Chief of Naval Staff & 2 Ors, before the Rivers State High Court presided over by Justice Chinwendu Nwogu, where the court allegedly ordered the detention of defence counsel after delivering judgment.
According to the statement, the judge convicted the counsel to the defendants, identified as Mrs Lovinah Benjamin, for contempt of court over alleged false statements contained in a written address filed in the matter.
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The association also referenced another incident involving Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, who allegedly ordered the detention of a legal officer with the Federal Medical Centre, Keffi, Martin Anyanwu, in the court’s holding facility on March 25, 2026.
The NBA said recent reports indicated that some lawyers had been subjected to degrading treatment in courtrooms, including being ordered to kneel or stand facing the wall under threat of contempt.
This is as the association warned that the power to punish for contempt must not be used to intimidate lawyers or suppress legitimate advocacy, noting that not every act of discourtesy amounts to contempt of court.
The NBA maintained that where a court considers the conduct of a lawyer improper, the proper procedure is to refer the matter to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee rather than resort to summary punishment.
The statement reads, “These reports are not only frightening but appear to show an increasing intolerance and penchant for abusing judicial powers by some judges.
“These actions of the learned trial judges are not only unfair but are exceedingly high-handed. The actions as well as the procedures adopted by the judges fly in the face of the rationale for punishment for contempt, which is the need to vindicate the dignity of the court and thereby protect the due administration of justice.
“It is not a contempt of court to criticise the conduct of a judge or the conduct of a court, even if such criticism is strongly worded, provided that the criticism is fair, temperate, and made in good faith,” the statement added.
