LAGOS — Judicial workers, under the aegis of
Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN,
yesterday, shut down courts across the country
as they commenced an industrial action.

In Abuja, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN,
Justice Mahmud Mohammed, and other Justices
of the Supreme Court were locked out of their
respective offices by protesting judiciary
workers, while all the courts were barricaded by
the strikers who used heavy chains and padlocks to block entrance and exit gates to all courts.

In Lagos, the Federal High Court and National
Industrial Court as well as Lagos State High
Court in all its divisions in Ikeja, Igbosere,
Ikorodu and Badagry were also shut.

At the Lagos State High Court, Igbosere, the
entrances were padlocked. Also, the Appeal
Court in Lagos had its gates padlocked. The
magistrate’s court in Igbosere, Lagos, was also
under lock and key.

The Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos, was also
under lock and key, including the National
Industrial Court in Ikoyi.

Courts in Lagos were initially scheduled to
resume yesterday after the Christmas vacation,
but JUSUN had directed all its members to
embark on the strike from January 2.

The strike is based on the failure of state
governments to implement the orders of an
Abuja Federal High Court, which granted
financial autonomy for state judiciaries.

Justice Adeniyi Ademola had on January 14,
2014, following a suit by JUSUN, restrained the
Federal Government and the 36 state governors
from holding on to funds meant for the judiciary. Ademola held that funds meant for the judiciary should instead be disbursed directly to the heads of court and not to the executive arm of government.

In Abuja, yesterday, all the Justices of the
Supreme Court, who intended to access their
offices, including the CJN, were forced to turn
back as the workers, through their National
President, Mr. Adamu Marwa, maintained that
they would not bow down until the Federal
Government complied and implemented the
Federal High Court judgment that declared
financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Addressing journalists yesterday, JUSUN
President, Marwa, said the office of the
Accountant General of the Federation was to be
blamed for the failure of the Federal
Government to implement the court judgment.

He lamented that the union had held meetings
with representatives of the various governments
20 times since the verdict was delivered as well
as signed seven Memoranda of Understanding,
MoU.

He said: “There is no going back until they
respect the court judgment. This strike is
indefinite.”


www.vanguardngr.com/2015/01/strike-judicial-workers-shut-courts-nationwide/