The strike action embarked upon by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) took a more debilitating dimension yesterday as litigants and lawyers in the state were denied access to the Federal High Court Complex.
Our Correspondent, who visted the Federal High Court and Appeal Courts reports that the premises of both courts were under lock and key.
According to our correspondent, lawyers and litigants were shocked as they were denied entrance into both complexes.
One of the litigants, Nwubi Samuel, who said he had a matter scheduled for ruling yesterday, added that the strike will have a negative impact on the society.
According to him, the ruling was set to free an accused person who has been awaiting trial for over four years.
On his part, Mr. Adidu Onyebi, described the strike as a major setback in the country’s justice administration, and called on all the parties in the matter to find a lasting solution to the crisis.
Speaking, one of the lawyers, Barr. Akpokuche Omesurum urged the Federal Government to address the problem, and ensure that the lingering issues are settled.
Meanwhile the Federal Government yesterday faulted allegations by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria that it did not comply with the judgement which barred the executive from holding on to funds meant for the judiciary.
The judiciary workers had on Monday embarked on an indefinite strike to protest the non-compliance of state governments with the court order on financial autonomy for the judiciary.
The court order was granted by Justice Adeniyi Ademola of the Federal High Court, Abuja on January 13, 2014.
The strike had paralyzed activities at the courts across the country as litigants and lawyers were denied access to the premises.
But reacting to the allegation of not complying with the court order, the Accountant General of the Federation, Mr Jonah Otunla, said during an interview with journalists in Abuja, that the Federal Government had always ensured compliance.
He said, “The first impression I should correct is that the Office of the Accountant General was never a party to that litigation.
“But without any prejudice to that and also reminding you that the federal government has been acting consequently with what it should do.
“We’ve always been giving National Judicial Council its money as a first line charge without interference with how they manage the funds.”
Otunla explained that at the last Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting held on December 16, a nominal distribution for money was made to the various state judiciaries.
This move, he noted, was stopped by the states to enable them (states) carry out what he referred to as reconciliation of figures.
He said, “At the last Federation Accounts Allocation Committee meeting, the OAGF made a nominal distribution for money to be remitted to the various state judiciaries but the states said they should give them more time to reconcile their figures and they rightly declined that we should not effect the deduction.
“So at the Federal Ministry of Finance, we have tried our very best to ensure that the judgement is abided with. So the fault is not really ours.
“I think some states have even gone as far as to challenge the judgement and it’s not really on the part of the OAGF to deduct the money of state when they say don’t.”