The various courtrooms at the Kaduna State Ministry of Justice on Monday witnessed a low number of lawyers and litigants contrary to the large number of people that usually besiege the court on weekdays.
The low number according to lawyers, who spoke to Channels Television, is in compliance with the Federal government’s advisory for people to avoid large gatherings as a means of containing the spread of COVID-19.
As part of the measures, lawyers were restricted from sitting inside the courtroom until their cases are called by the court clerk, while only litigants are equally allowed to come into the courtroom without their relations and friends as it used to be.
However, Channels Television correspondent at the courtroom observed that there was no provision of water and hand sanitizers at the court for people to wash their hands before entering into the courtroom, except few lawyers who came with their personal sanitisers and mask.
Also, some lawyers inside the court did not comply with the social distancing advice, as some of them sat close to each, thereby maintaining close body contact.
A former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) of Kaduna Branch, Sule Shuabu, says the social distancing advisory though very important in containing the coronavirus spread, cannot prevent the courts from sitting as far as people maintain proper personal hygiene.
