In compliance with the nationwide strike embarked on by judiciary workers under the aegis of Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, all high and magistrates’ courts in Lagos were shut on Tuesday.

JUSUN declared a nationwide indefinite strike to press home their demand for the financial autonomy of the judiciary.

A NAN correspondent who monitored developments reported that at the premises of the Lagos Division of the Federal High Court, lawyers were seen standing around the court’s premises with no ongoing activities, while some members of the union were seen around the court.

President Muhammadu Buhari had, on May 22, 2020, signed into law an Executive Order granting financial autonomy to the legislature and the judiciary across the 36 states.

The Executive Order (No. 10 of 2020) made it mandatory for states to include the legislature and the judiciary’s allocations in their budgets’ first-line charge.

The order also mandates the accountant-general of the federation to deduct from the source amount due to the legislatures and judiciaries from the monthly allocation to each state for states that refuse to grant such autonomy.

JUSUN, on April 3, issued a circular ordering the closure of courts across the country from April 6 as a measure to ensure implementation of the order.

Kehinde Shobowale, Chairman of JUSUN in Lagos, told the News Agency of Nigeria that all entrances to courts in the state would remain closed until the government met the union’s demands.

“It is just a simple strike involving our members, and this means that whoever is a member of JUSUN Lagos will go on strike.

“That means they will stay at home while only the exco members will be on the ground at the high courts. All our gates will be locked,” Mr Shobowale.

He added, “I would not know if this will affect the activities of courts or not, but all I know is that the entrances to all courts in Lagos State will be locked.

“For us in Lagos, we believe that the judiciary is still under something I can conveniently refer to as bondage.”

In Abuja, JUSUN locked out staff, lawyers, litigants, and the public from the Federal High Court complex in Maitama.

JUSUN President, Marwan Adamu, said all courts and other departments remained shut.

(NAN)