A Lagos Magistrates’ Court sitting at Ogba, a suburb of the city, is likened to hell on earth as both litigants and their counsels bemoan their ordeal in the courtrooms because of intense heat which causes endless sweating while litigations are going on due lack of electricity supply and working standby power generating sets
By Our Correspondent
The word, “hell”, can be suitable as a sobriquet for the Lagos State Magistrates’ Court sitting in Ogba, near Ikeja, the Lagos State capital city. Otherwise, what other alias can be given to a court where litigants and their lawyers, as well as the Magistrates adjudicating over lawsuits sweat to frustration due to intense heat orchestrated by consistent lack of electricity supply and working standby power generating sets.
Several visits to the court by this medium revealed that power supply has eluded the court for a long time, however, a credible source disclosed that epileptic power supply comes once in a day or at times in two or three days interval, but seldom is power restored during court sessions and litigation hours, thus leaving the court almost in a black-out condition.
It was also gathered that the alternative power generating sets otherwise known as power generators which should be supplying standby power to the sprawling court building have either packed up due to lack of maintenance or lack of funds to fuel the one that is in working condition.
Consequently, during court sessions, most of the Magistrates handling cases at the Three-Storey edifice are seen virtually helping themselves with hand fans to cool themselves so as to reduce sweating. As for lawyers and litigants, they are always helpless especially when a court room is full, sweating profusely. As with the Magistrates, the situation causes many lawyers who often put on suit wears to get hot-headed while arguing cases for their clients.
Many of the courtrooms can be filled to the brim, some of the times with the learned members of the bar and their clients, but for the open windows that allow for ventilation, people will be suffocating in the courtrooms during court sessions. Within the court premises are countless units of air-conditioning sets hung all over the three floors of the court building, but Tentacle’s checks indicate that many of the air-conditioning units may have packed up due to not being put to use or lack of maintenance.
An official of the court who pleaded anonymity said the air-conditioning sets have not been functioning for several years due to lack of power supply to the building. Thus, on few occasions when power would be supplied to the building for a short-lived period, the air conditioners would not be powered because they have become moribund. For this reason, mini standing fans are placed nearest to the Magistrates any time power was restored to cool them and to drain their sweat. But for the rest of the people in the courtrooms, they would continue to sweat until the courts are closed for the day.
Tentacle further observed that the intense heat being felt in the courtrooms during litigation hours causes rowdy movements in and around the courtrooms. Both lawyers and litigants can be seen moving out and back to courtrooms to get fresh air. These movements, ostensibly, distract the Magistrates, compelling them to yell orders that people must not block the courtrooms windows so that fresh air can enter into the courtrooms.
Most of the times, litigants and their lawyers whose cases were yet to be called, can be seen crowding out around the verandas and other open spaces within different floors in the building to avoid suffocating in the courtrooms. Thus, the court security personnel often find it difficult to control the crowds in the verandas. Investigation revealed that the Ogba Magistrates’ Court has remained in this pitiable condition for years without the Lagos State government batting an eyelid.
A source at the court told this medium that the prevailing situation in the court where Magistrates sweat everyday while presiding over cases has remained a source of worry to everybody in the court because the Magistrates often rush to conclude cases each day, and also easily get irritated due to excess heat and sweating. Under this dismal atmosphere, according to sources, equitable judgment, fairness in justice delivery and proper analysis of submissions by parties involved in litigations, by the Magistrates, suffer setback.
One source narrated an event where a Magistrate allegedly removed his jacket, unbuttoned half of his inner shirt as a result of the heat in the presence of lawyers and litigants. The source narrated that when the Magistrate realized what he had done, he quickly rushed out of his seat into his inner chamber, leaving a lawyer and a defendant in the dock who was under cross examination.
In another embarrassing event, Tentacle gathered, a Magistrate had got irritated by the heat and began to vent his frustration on a lawyer, shouting at the top of his voice. Respondents at the court, both staff and litigants, regretted that the Lagos State government would not procure standby power generating sets that can electrify the entire court and power its electronic gadgets.
Officials of the court, including those in Administration Department, would not respond officially to the light and heat issues in the court when Tentacle identified he was from the media. They referred Tentacle to the Lagos State Ministry of Justice.
