Judiciary workers lock out judges, lawyers, others as NLC, TUC begin strike

Members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN), on Monday, locked out judges, lawyers, staff and litigants from accessing courts in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in compliance with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC)’s directive.

The News Agency of Nigeria’s (NAN) check at the FCT High Court, Maitama; the Federal High Court (FHC); the Court of Appeal; and the Supreme Court showed that court activities were totally paralysed as JUSUN members positioned themselves outside the heavily locked gates.

Private security guards and a few police officers were also sighted around the court gates, as lawyers, litigants, and visitors, including journalists, were not allowed entry into the courts’ premises.

Comrade Samuel Ikpatt, Chairman of the FHC Chapter of JUSUN, said in an interview with NAN, that the union was in total compliance with the directive of the NLC that workers should down-tool beginning today.

“We are the affiliates of NLC. So we are in total compliance with the strike action, including all our divisions,” he said.

According to him, no court is sitting.

When asked if lawyers are being allowed to gain access to the high-rise building, he said, “There is nobody inside the courts because we are in total compliance with the directive.”

On when the gate would be opened, Ikpatt said, “Until, when we get a directive from our parent body, which is the NLC.”

Also speaking, Comrade Mohammed Danjuma-Yusuf, who is the Treasurer of the JUSUN Chapter of the Court of Appeal, told NAN that they were complying with the NLC’s directive.

“So the Court of Appeal is in total shutdown; 100 percent compliance. All 20 branches of the Court of Appeal are in total shutdown.

“Nobody is allowed in, even judges,” he said.

Danjuma-Yusuf said the gate would be opened when the union received a directive from the national headquarters of the NLC.

NAN reports that the NLC and TUC had, on May 31, declared an indefinite strike, beginning today, June 3.

The organised labour decided to embark on industrial action after the negotiations between them and the government over workers’ minimum wage were deadlocked.