A lawyer identified as Ogbachalu Goshen, appeared in court on Thursday dressed in full priest robes.
Okay.ng recalls that this is coming a few days after a lawyer stormed an Ikoyi High Court in Lagos on his full traditional worshipper’s regalia.
Mr Goshen’s dramatic appearance was at the Okpoko magistrate court in the Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
The court proceedings, presided by Her Worship CB Mbaegbu, were on until a matter was called up and Goshen announced his appearance as a defence counsel.
The Magistrate objected and said he could not appear and address the court in that regalia. In defence of his action, Goshen cited the recent Supreme Court judgement that gave female students the backing to wear hijab in public schools as a precedent.
As the Magistrate stood her ground that he could not appear in her court in that mode of dressing, Goshen also insisted that it was his right and that the objection by the Magistrate was an infringement on his fundamental rights as enshrined in Section 38 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Subsequently, the Magistrate rose, thereby forcing the court to dismiss immediately.
Mr Goshen justified his actions while speaking with newsmen after the court drama. He noted that the incident had already become a constitutional matter since the Supreme Court made such a ruling.
When asked whether the ruling was in the best interest of the judiciary, he said that for now, it remains a precedent that must be obeyed unless there is a judicial review.
