A Customary Court building in Itu, Ezinihitte Local Government Area of the eastern Nigerian state of Imo collapsed during session on Tuesday.
Although no death was recorded in the disaster, some persons sustained minor wounds.
Water and dust from the ceiling messed up documents belonging to the court and lawyers.
A witness said in Owerri on Wednesday that the disaster occurred when the Clerk commenced reading from the cause list.
“The clerk of the court was reading out cases listed for hearing when the building collapsed and the roof caved in’’, he said.
A lawyer, Chief Gerald Aririguzo, described the incident as “the height of a spectacular embarrassment.”
“Most of my documents were badly affected because the ceiling and roof retained water after last Monday`s rainfall and the water spilled all over the court room”, he said. It is unfortunate that this kind of thing is still happening in the 21st century.
“Most of my documents were badly affected because the ceiling and roof retained water after last Monday`s rainfall and the water spilled all over the court room”, he said.
“It is unfortunate that this kind of thing is still happening in the 21st century.
“We have dilapidated court buildings everywhere because the executive does not see the need to allow judicial arm financial autonomy’’, he said.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association in Imo, Mr Stanley Chidozie, described the incident as regrettable and called for proper funding of judiciary.