The Lagos judiciary has instituted a virtual court session cost of ₦30,000.
The Lagos State judiciary has declared that, starting on April 1, any virtual or remote court proceedings within the state will be charged a cost of ₦30,000 each session.
This is stated in a March 28 circular sent by Tajudeen Elias, the state’s acting chief registrar, which the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) received on Tuesday in Lagos.
According to the circular, the court that is hearing the case must receive all requests for virtual hearings. It further stated that payment would be made following the court’s approval. According to the notification, the Assistant Chief Registrar Litigation in When money is received, the case will be scheduled for hearing in Lagos or Ikeja.
In the Lagos State High and Magistrate Courts, no other office or officer is permitted to preside over or schedule cases for virtual proceedings.
“The courts where they already provide internet access and service will continue to receive those services from First Hightower Infotech Ltd. (FHTI).
The statement read, “Court registrars are directed to ensure strict compliance with the circular.”
The Managing Director of Global T & T New Solutions Ltd., Musbau Famuyiwa, commented on the trend and told NAN that the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria led to the rise in popularity of virtual hearings.
According to NAN, Global T&T collaborated on virtual court proceedings with the Lagos State Ministry of Justice. Virtual hearing, according to Famuyiwa was a way to follow social distance rules and guarantee the ongoing operation of the court.
He noted that since its commencement, the virtual hearing has been free, and it has been used to address urgent matters ever since COVID-19 began. He claimed that by charging a charge, the virtual hearing would be more successful in achieving its goals and supporting the legal system.
“Global T&T is involved to help achieve the goal because the judiciary lacks the capacity and infrastructure development to scale it up,” he stated.
It will be extremely beneficial if the judiciary is able to secure the services of a third party to bridge that gap.
Consider a person traveling from Port-Harcourt.
