Justice Peace Otti, a judge at the Anambra State High Court, has issued a stern warning of a potential sitting boycott if the persistent disobedience to court orders continues. Visibly irate upon entering the court on Thursday, Justice Otti, presiding over High Court 3 in the Awka Judicial Division, conveyed to lawyers and litigants that she had arrived solely to announce her decision to cease sitting until satisfactory explanations are provided for the repeated non-compliance with orders issued by her court.
During her address, Justice Otti cited a specific instance where she had ordered against the further arrest of certain litigants involved in a case before her court. Despite this directive, police operatives from the Force Headquarters in Abuja, around 8 pm, reportedly arrested the litigants and transported them to Abuja, citing “conducts likely to cause a breach of peace.”
“I am here to inform you that I have decided to stop sitting because it is futile for me to continue sitting when the court’s orders are not being adhered to. This court issued an order restraining the further arrest of certain litigants in a case before it, pending the determination of the substantive case. Nevertheless, police officers from Abuja, without any court order, abducted these litigants, taking them to Abuja on charges of ‘conduct likely to cause a breach of peace.'”