On Monday, April 23, 2018, the Lagos State Judiciary took a
significant step towards further enhancement of the process for
settlement of commercial disputes, involving small claims not
exceeding Five Million Naira (N5,000,000 Naira) in the State. This
was done by the establishment of the Small Claims Court with the
objective of providing easy access to an informal, inexpensive and
speedy resolution of simple debt recovery disputes in the
Magistrates' Courts. A Small Claims Court is a specialized
court or local tribunal created by statute with specific duties and
powers. Generally, the court is designed to provide judicial
determination of disputes involving small amounts of money quickly
and cheaply, with or without legal representation. Following the
creation of the court, the Magistrates' Court Law
(Practice Directions on Small Claims) 2018 ("Practice
Directions") were issued by the Hon. Justice Opeyemi
Oke, Chief Judge of Lagos State, as the regulatory framework
