By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
Courts across Kaduna State were completely shut on Monday as the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) initiated an indefinite strike to press for outstanding demands.
The industrial action affected all tiers of the judiciary, including the federal and state high courts, the upper Sharia court, and the customary and magistrate courts, all of which were locked and bore banners reading “JUSUN Kaduna State Chapter Embarks on Strike.”
At the Magajin Gari Sharia Court, courtrooms were also vacated and locked. A few court staff, however, remained on the premises to attend to clients applying for affidavits.
The strike notice, signed by JUSUN’s Kaduna state secretary, Nasiru Haruna, was circulated on 23 October 2025. JUSUN stated that the industrial action followed repeated unheeded correspondences from the state government — including a demand letter dated 1 September and an ultimatum issued on 9 October.
Among the union’s key demands are full implementation of financial autonomy for the judiciary as stipulated by the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the payment of salaries withheld for April and May 2021, nine-year arrears of a 20 per cent salary component dating from 2016 to date, leave and transport grant arrears covering nine years, and outfit allowances for judiciary staff.
According to the union, an emergency meeting held on 13 October resolved to commence the strike from Monday and directed withdrawal of services across all courts, judicial units and offices in the state until further notice.
