Presiding judges of over 80 Upper Area and Customary Courts in Nasarawa State have protested their inability to carry out their official duties due to blockades by striking judicial workers.
The judges, under the Area Court Judges Association of Nigeria, converged on Lafia for an emergency meeting chaired by their Chairman, Mr. Ado Musa, to protest what they described as the disruption of court activities by members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria, JUSUN.
Presenting the communique at the end of the meeting, the association’s Public Relations Officer, Mr. Kikah Yamusa, said Area Court judges are presiding officers and not members of JUSUN, yet they are being denied access to their courtrooms and offices.
“We can no longer fold our arms and watch our members being denied access to their offices over a strike we are not part of,” the communique stated.
Yamusa said the action is crippling justice delivery at the grassroots, as Upper Area and Customary Courts handle the bulk of cases for ordinary citizens — land disputes, family and inheritance matters, and communal conflicts.
The association called on its members to remain calm and appealed to the Nasarawa State Government to provide adequate protection and ensure uninterrupted access to their courts.
When contacted, the State Chairman of JUSUN, Mr. Mas’ud Ubangari, declined to comment.
LEADERSHIP reports that the current standoff is the latest chapter in a protracted labour crisis in the Nasarawa State judiciary.
JUSUN, the umbrella body for judiciary staff, had directed its members to embark on an indefinite strike with effect from midnight on Tuesday, September 15, 2026, accusing the government and the Judicial Service Commission of resorting to delay tactics.
The union’s demands include the immediate implementation of the 40 per cent Peculiar Allowance approved by the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, financial autonomy for the judiciary, and a 58.1 per cent salary increase, as well as the implementation of pending staff conversions and payment of outstanding promotion allowances.
