PEPT: Onueze Okocha says there should be absolute silence in court when a judgement is being read

Onueze Okocha, a former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, has emphasized the importance of maintaining absolute silence in a courtroom while judges or justices are reading their judgments. He acknowledged that the justices of the presidential election tribunal were justified in condemning the actions of a lawyer from the All Progressives Congress (APC) who disrupted the tribunal’s judgment.

During an interview with TVC , Okocha stated, “It is unheard of; indeed, there should be silence in courts when a judgment is being read. Most of the time, if you attempt to enter a court while the judgment is being read, you are prevented. Police orderlies will stand by the entrance door of the court to prevent anybody from entering the court.”

He went on to highlight a recent incident in which a lawyer at the bar stood up and interrupted the judgment in court. Okocha expressed his support for the presiding justice who called the lawyer to order, emphasizing the need for everyone to recognize that a courtroom’s atmosphere requires sobriety and solemnity, especially during judgment readings.

Okocha stressed the importance of not interrupting a judge while they are speaking, whether they are addressing a counsel or the court in general, in line with the principles taught and practiced in the legal profession.

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