25th March, 2020
The Chief Judge of Bayelsa, Justice Kate Abiri, has ordered the immediate suspension of court sittings in the state from Tuesday, for the first instance of two weeks.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Abiri gave the directive in a statement signed by the Head of Media and Information of the Bayelsa Judiciary, Mr Julius Nyananyo.
She said that the suspension was in line with the directive from the office of the Chief Justice of the Federation, Justice Ibrahim Tanko-Muhammad, as part of measures taken to prevent the spread of COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria.
Justice Abiri said that the directive was aimed at protecting Judges, Magistrates, other staffers and litigants from contacting the disease.
She, however, said that the courts would only be open to matters that are urgent, essential or time-bound, according to the extant laws, while calling for understanding from the litigating public.
Abiri, therefore, called on the public to take cognizance of the consequences of the disease, appealing that the decision was in the best interest of the health of court users.