PHOTOS: Lagos Begins Demolition Of Nigeria’s Oldest Court
The Lagos State government has begun to pull down the State High Court sitting in the Igbosere area, about 16 months after it was gutted by fire. The court was torched and looted by hoodlums in October 2020 in the wake of the #EndSars protests held in Lagos and other parts of the country. … Continue reading PHOTOS: Lagos Begins Demolition Of Nigeria’s Oldest Court
Sawabiya YarKarkara 
The Lagos State government has begun to pull down the State High Court sitting in the Igbosere area, about 16 months after it was gutted by fire.
The court was torched and looted by hoodlums in October 2020 in the wake of the #EndSars protests held in Lagos and other parts of the country.
Channels Television came across the demolition of what was once the oldest most recognisable court building in Nigeria on Wednesday.
At one time, the premises housed the highest court in the country – the Supreme Court before it relocated to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
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In the ’60s, matters from the Lagos High Court would go to the Privy Council in England on appeal.
Notable names who sat in the court include John Idowu Conrad Taylor, better known as JIC Taylor who was the first Chief Judge of Lagos State, as well as the longest-serving Chief Judge of Lagos, Justice Adetunji Adefarasin, Justice Muri Okunola, amongst others.
Justice George Oguntade, Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivor, and other serving and retired justices who passed through Lagos State also sat in the court premises.
While many senior lawyers and jurists of note cut their legal teeth in the premises, many landmark cases that shaped the course of Nigeria’s legal system were initiated in the court premises – making it a national monument.
During the demolition, the gates to the court premises were locked by officials. This makes it difficult to ascertain how long the demolition process would take.
See more photos below:
