COVID-19 impact
Unsure of how to proceed with normal court businesses at the advent of the coronavirus pandemic, most court heads directed shutdown for the first two weeks or more in March this year.
Subsequently, after the Federal Government, through the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 made public the COVID – Regulations 2020, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad took the initiative, in his capacity as the head of the judicial arm of government, to direct courts’ heads to scale down court activities as a measure to curb the spread of the virus.
In a circular, marked: NJC/CIR/HOC/11/631 issued on March 23, 2020, the CJN advised courts’ heads to still continue to hear certain cases while keeping social distancing and wearing face masks among other anti-COVID-19 measures.
Like every other segment of the society, the justice sector faced an unprecedented challenge in 2020 with the advent of the novel coronavirus pandemic. In this edition of Law and Human Rights, we, examine some events and cases that formed talking points for the judiciary in 2020.
2020: Cases, events that shaped judiciary during pandemic
On
Kindly Share This Story:
Like every other segment of the society, the justice sector faced an unprecedented challenge in 2020 with the advent of the novel coronavirus pandemic. In this edition of Law and Human Rights, we, examine some events and cases that formed talking points for the judiciary in 2020.
By Henry Ojelu & Onozure Dania
Court sacks Ihedioha, Lyon
The year 2020 began in the justice sector with the shocking sack of former Imo State governor, Emeka Ihedioha and Bayelsa State governor-elect David Lyon by the Supreme Court. The apex court declared Hope Uzodinma of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the March 9, 2019 governorship election in the state. In the unanimous judgment of the seven-member panel, read by Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, the apex court agreed that results in 388 polling units were unlawfully excluded during the collation of the final governorship election result in Imo S