Court proceedings at some courts across the country were grounded on Monday, as the nationwide strike declared by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria took effect.
The Lagos Division of the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court, Ikoyi, Lagos State, came to a standstill.
Also, the Federal High Court in Benin, Edo State, was deserted, with activities grounded to a halt, following the nationwide strike by the union.
JUSUN’s national leadership had, in a circular dated May 30, 2025, and signed by the Acting National Secretary, M.J. Akwashiki, directed all state chapters to embark on an indefinite strike beginning at midnight on Sunday, June 1.
According to the union, the industrial action became necessary after negotiations with the Federal Government broke down.
The union bemoaned the Federal Government’s inability to release funds for the N70,000 minimum wage, settle the five-month wage arrears, and implement the 25/35 per cent salary increase.
While the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, reportedly intervened, leading to members working in the Supreme Court and National Judicial Council to opt out of the strike, some state chapters observed the strike on Monday.
On Monday, checks conducted by The PUNCH at various courts revealed that while the Federal High Court and the Court of Appeal headquarters in Abuja adhered to the strike with their gates locked, the Supreme Court did not participate in the strike.
However, courts located at Igbosere and Oyinkan Abayomi Drive respectively in Lagos were under lock and key, with court gates tightly shut, leaving judges, lawyers, litigants, and members of the public stranded outside.
Litigants who had journeyed from different parts of the state for scheduled matters expressed frustration over the disruption.
“This is very frustrating. I have a matter that has been adjourned multiple times, and now the court is locked. We are suffering,” said one litigant, visibly agitated.
The usually busy premises of the two courts were deserted, as court staff, judicial officers, and lawyers milled around in confusion or turned away upon realizing the courts were not sitting.
Legal practitioners decried the impact of the strike on access to justice and the overall functioning of the judicial system.
“This is not just about shutting gates, it’s about denying people their day in court. The backlog of cases will only get worse,” a senior lawyer remarked.
The Benin court was also locked and was devoid of the usual activities during a visit to the premises on Monday.
One of the respondents who pleaded anonymity said she was already at her duty post when she was told to vacate the court premises due to the strike.
She said she did not know when the strike would be called off but expressed hope that the authorities would do the needful.
The National President of JUSUN, Marwan Adamu, said the strike continued because the meeting held on Monday to resolve the issues was inconclusive and had to be adjourned.
Speaking in a telephone interview, Adamu stated that since no resolution had been reached, the strike would continue on Tuesday.
He said, “We had a meeting, they called for a discussion, the meeting was inconclusive and has been adjourned till tomorrow. Strike continues,” he said.