A Magistrate Court in Port Harcourt was thrown into confusion on Wednesday after records showed that a lawyer who reportedly died in December 2025 had appeared in court proceedings a month later.

The issue emerged when a case was called for hearing and the defendant informed the court that his counsel had passed away months earlier. The court, presided over by Kingsley Briggs, then checked its records and found that the same lawyer had been listed as present during proceedings on February 10, 2026.

According to the magistrate, the lawyer had addressed the court on that date and pleaded on behalf of his client, explaining that the defendant was ill and unable to attend the hearing. Based on that plea, the court refrained from issuing a bench warrant and instead adjourned the matter to March 12.

The revelation that the lawyer had already died months earlier left the court puzzled and prompted further inquiries during Wednesday’s session.

To clarify the situation, the vice chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, who was present in court, suggested contacting the lawyer’s family.

A relative later confirmed that the lawyer died in December 2025.

The family member told the court that the lawyer was allegedly strangled in his apartment in Oyigbo, adding that police are still investigating the circumstances surrounding his death.

The development has raised questions about how the deceased lawyer’s name came to appear in court records for a later proceeding.