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.
FCT High Court, Maitama; Federal High Court (FHC); Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court, were affected with activities were totally paralysed as JUSUN members positioned themselves outside the heavily locked gates.
Private security guards and few police officers were also sighted around the court gates as lawyers, litigants, visitors, including journalists, were not allowed entry into the courts’ premises.
Comrade Samuel Ikpatt, Chairman of the FHC Chapter of JUSUN, in an interview with NAN, said the union was in total compliance with the directive of the NLC that workers should down tool beginning from today.
“We are the affiliate of NLC. So we are in total compliance with the strike action, including all our divisions,” he said.
When asked if lawyers are being allowed to gain access into the high-rise building, he said: “There is nobody inside the courts because we are in total compliance with the directive.”
According to him, “No court is sitting.”
Also, Ikpatt, on when the gate would be opened, said: “Until when we get directive from our parent body, which is the NLC.”
Comrade Mohammed Danjuma-Yusuf, who is the Treasurer of JUSUN Chapter of Court of Appeal, told NAN that they were complying with the NLC’s directive.
“So Court of Appeal is in total shutdown; 100 per cent compliance. All the 20 branches of Court of Appeal is 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 NLC.
The NLC and TUC had, on May 31, declared an indefinite strike, beginning from today, June 3. As a reaction to the negotiations between them and the government over the minimum wage of workers ended in deadlock.