A magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt was thrown into confusion on Wednesday March 11, 2026, after discovering that a lawyer who died in December 2025 had been recorded as present during court proceedings earlier this year.
The incident occurred when a matter came up for hearing and the counsel representing one of the litigants was absent in court. Upon inquiry by the court, the litigant informed the court that his lawyer had died in December last year.
Senior Magistrate Kingsley Briggs, the presiding magistrate expressed surprise at the disclosure and immediately checked the court’s record book, where the lawyer was documented to have appeared before the court on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, to handle the same matter.
The magistrate explained that during the February sitting, the lawyer had pleaded on behalf of the litigant, informing the court that his client was ill and required medical attention.
According to the magistrate, the court had initially considered issuing a bench warrant against the litigant for failing to appear, but refrained from doing so following the lawyer’s plea of ill health on behalf of his client. The matter was subsequently adjourned to March 11, 2026.
To clarify the situation, the Vice Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Port Harcourt Branch, who was present in court, suggested contacting the lawyer’s family.
A family member who was reached confirmed that the lawyer died in December 2025.
The family member further disclosed that the lawyer was allegedly strangled in his apartment in Oyigbo, Rivers State, and that the police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.
The development reportedly left the court and observers puzzled as efforts continue to unravel how the deceased lawyer’s presence was recorded in the court proceedings.
