— JUSUN demands financial autonomy, arrears settlement
By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo, Kaduna
Judicial operations across Kaduna State came to a halt on Monday as members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) commenced an indefinite strike to demand financial autonomy and payment of long-standing arrears.
Courts at all levels — including the Federal and State High Courts, Magistrates’ Courts, Upper Shari’a Courts, and Customary Courts — were under lock and key. Banners placed at entrances read: “JUSUN Kaduna State Chapter Embarks on Strike.”
The strike followed a notice dated October 23, signed by the union’s Secretary, Comrade Nasiru Haruna, accusing the Kaduna State Government of ignoring several appeals and correspondence, including a demand letter issued on September 1 and an ultimatum dated October 9, 2025.
According to the union, all efforts to reach an amicable resolution had failed, forcing it to suspend judicial services across the state.
JUSUN’s key demands include: Full implementation of judiciary financial autonomy as provided by the 1999 Constitution (as amended);
Implementation of consequential salary adjustments; Payment of withheld April and May 2021 salaries; Settlement of nine years’ arrears of a 20 percent salary component (2016–2025); Payment of leave and transport grants for nine years; and Payment of outfit allowances for judiciary workers.
The decision to embark on strike, the statement added, was taken at an emergency congress on October 13, after it became clear that the government was unwilling to meet the workers’ demands.
“All activities of the Kaduna State Judiciary are hereby suspended. All staff are to withdraw their services until further notice,” the union declared.
When reporters visited court complexes in Kaduna, Zaria, and Kafanchan, lawyers and litigants who had come for scheduled hearings were turned away. Many expressed concern that the industrial action could worsen delays in the dispensation of justice, particularly for detainees awaiting trial.
A senior judiciary staff member, who spoke anonymously, said the union had been “patient for too long.”
“We have written several letters and waited for years. This strike became inevitable because the government failed to honour its promises,” he said.
As of press time, the Kaduna State Government had not issued any official statement on the industrial action.
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