The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has strongly condemned reports of judges allegedly bullying lawyers and unlawfully ordering their detention, describing the actions as a serious abuse of judicial power.
In a statement signed by NBA President Mazi Afam Osigwe, SAN, and General Secretary Dr. Mobolaji Ojibara, the association expressed shock over two recent incidents. The first involved the detention of Mrs. Lovinah Ugbana Benjamin, counsel to the defendants in Suit No. PHC/301/2016, Mr. Bodiseowei Zidougha v. The Chief of Naval Staff & 2 Ors, by Hon. Justice Chinwendu Nwogu of the High Court of Rivers State. The second concerned the summary detention of Martin Anyanwu, a legal officer at the Federal Medical Center, Keffi, by Honourable Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on March 25, 2026.
The NBA criticized what it described as degrading courtroom treatment of lawyers, including forcing them to kneel or face the wall under threat of contempt, saying such conduct undermines the dignity of the legal profession and the mutual respect essential between the Bench and the Bar.
“The power to punish for contempt is an extraordinary jurisdiction that must be exercised sparingly and only in clear cases where the administration of justice is under immediate threat,” the statement read. “The use of contempt powers in circumstances that do not clearly amount to obstruction of justice creates an atmosphere of intimidation and amounts to judicial bullying.”
The NBA demanded:
1. Immediate release of the affected counsel.
2. An investigation by the Chief Judge of Rivers State into the circumstances surrounding Mrs. Lovinah’s detention.
3. Appropriate disciplinary action by the National Judicial Council (NJC) where necessary.
4. Condemnation and setting aside of the remand of Mrs. Lovinah.
5. A seven-day boycott by NBA branches in Port Harcourt of proceedings before Justice Nwogu if Mrs. Lovinah is not released within 24 hours.
The NBA also instructed its Human Rights Institute to monitor the situation and liaise with authorities to ensure protection of lawyers’ rights.
The association warned that the courtroom must remain “a forum of law, not intimidation; of reason, not fear,” emphasizing that judicial authority is best preserved through fairness, restraint, and fidelity to the rule of law.
