The judicial crisis in Rivers State deepened on Thursday,May 28, 2015 as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, Mr. Worgu Boms, was suspended by the Nigerian Bar Association, Port Harcourt branch.
According to the Punch, the NBA took its decision to suspend Boms and declare him ‘persona non grata’ during the association’s meeting in Port Harcourt, presided over by the Chairman of the branch, Mr. Dennis Okwamkpan.
The body explained that recent actions and utterances of the state attorney general had been detrimental to the welfare and survival of lawyers in the state.
92 of the state NBA members voted in favour of sanctioning the justice commissioner while 18 voted against the decision. Twenty persons were, however, absent at the meeting.
Courts in Rivers state have been inoperative since June 9, 2014, making it impossible for litigants to take their grievances to court while the accused have equally not been able to defend themselves in court.
Mr. Okwamkpan explained that the resolutions at the meeting were, “That the Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Worgu Boms, is hereby declared a persona non grata.
“That Rivers State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice,. Worgu Boms, is hereby suspended from all the activities of the NBA, Port Harcourt branch, for the time being.
“He was suspended for his gross insensitivity to the plight of lawyers in the state following the closure of courts since June 9, 2014. He was also suspended from the NBA for his actions and declarations, which are detrimental and impacted negatively on the welfare of lawyers in Rivers State.
“He was suspended for his questionable role in the closure and continued closure of the courts in the state. We see that his role in the continued closure of the court is questionable.
“We feel that as an attorney general, he has not lived up to the expectations of that office and he did not do what was expected of him as a stakeholder in the justice sector, that is why the courts have remained shut.”
