COVID-19: NJC releases new guidelines for court sittings

The National Judicial Council (NJC) has released guidelines for court sittings during the COVID-19 pandemic to reduce spread.

The guidelines issued by the NJC Committee headed by Justice Olabode Rhodes-Vivour were contained in a statement issued by the NJC Director of information, Mr. Soji Oye, on Thursday.

It is entitled: “The National Judicial Council Guidelines for Court Sittings and Related Matters in the COVID-19 period.”

Oye said the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice I. T. Muhammad, in a corresponding circular with Reference Number NJC/CIR/HOC/II/660, urged all heads of federal and state courts to abide by the guidelines in the formulation of their rules and directives.

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“Heads of the court shall have a primary responsibility of ensuring compliance of judicial officers over whom they superintend with the provisions of these guidelines.

“Heads of courts shall liaise with relevant security agencies to ensure that the entrances to court premises are well manned by security personnel, and entry into the premises is regulated in a manner that guarantees and enforces the minimum two-meter (six feet) distance between persons as it relates to all entrants into the premises.

“The courts shall ensure that all security personnel who work in the court premises and in particular the security personnel who man the entrance(s) to the court premises are well informed on COVID-19 including, in particular, the methods of its spread, its basic symptoms, how to prevent its spread, etc,” it said.