Lagos – Some legal practitioners in Lagos on Sunday identified high cost of litigation as a major factor hindering poor Nigerians from accessing justice in courts.

Those who spoke  in separate interviews, were of the consensus that justice was for the rich.

Mr Spurgeon Ataene said that the services of good lawyers were costly and for that reason, the rich would always have an edge over the poor in getting justice.

“A lawyer that will stand to make a sentence or two can charge you N500,000 or N1 million, depending on the kind of lawyer,’’ he said.

Ataene, however, noted that even with the establishment of the Office of the Public Defender (OPD) by the Lagos State Government, lawyers in the office (OPD) still needed money to prosecute their cases.

“Some lawyers of OPD, being created by the state government to cater for the poor, still charge fees and their fees are even more expensive.

“So how can the poor man be favoured, they can never be favoured,’’ he said.

Another lawyer, Mr Uche Nwanueke, noted that high cost of professional service was not only applicable to the judiciary, but cut across all spheres of all service providers.

“For instance, in the medical line, it is the same thing; if you go to the hospital and you are not able to deposit money for treatment, there is a problem.

“If you do not pay, they will not attend to you; that is why most patients die.

“If you do not have the money to pay for a good lawyer, then you will also suffer,” Nwanueke said.

In his contribution, Mr Nkem Eke remarked that the common law being operated in Nigeria, gave room for the rich to have an edge over the poor.

“Basically, we need to look at the system we operate in Nigeria.

“We operate the common law system and what it means is that each person has to present his own case.

“It is what you present to the judge that will determine the judgment you receive,” Eke said.

He noted that the poor also lack the necessary information, and that this could affect any case presented to the judge.

“The poor, sometimes do not give their lawyers the necessary information, which becomes a problem to both the lawyers and the defendant.

“In some foreign countries, the rich can defer his or her trial as long as he wants, but in Nigeria, it does not work like that,’’ he said. (NAN)