The Ondo State judiciary has ground to an unprecedented halt, with courtrooms deserted and judicial workers striking indefinitely amid escalating tensions between the state government and members of the judiciary over severe budget cuts, partial financial autonomy, and deteriorating welfare conditions.
The crisis, which escalated this week, has drawn sharp criticism from judicial officers and legal practitioners, who accuse Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of effectively “strangulating” the judiciary by slashing its operational budget and granting only a limited form of financial autonomy that excludes capital funding, a move they say threatens the independence and functionality of the justice system.
According to sources within the Ondo judiciary, the state government’s 2026 budget proposal for the judicial arm was drastically reduced from ₦17 billion in 2025 to ₦9.5 billion, representing nearly a 45 per cent cut. Judges and court staff warn that such a reduction, in tandem with a partial autonomy arrangement that covers only recurrent expenditure, will effectively suffocate the judiciary’s operations.
“This is not autonomy; it is a slow suffocation of the judiciary,” a senior judicial officer said, underscoring concerns that salaries could be cut by up to 20 per cent in 2026 while critical infrastructure remains neglected.
Judicial buildings across the state are reportedly in disrepair, with some courtrooms susceptible to flooding during rainfall, forcing judges to suspend sittings as water fills the floors. Despite repeated appeals for rehabilitation, progress has been minimal, sources say.
Beyond financial autonomy, workers have detailed worsening welfare conditions among magistrates and other judicial officers. In some instances, magistrates appear for duties in worn-out shoes and patched suits and must commute on commercial motorcycles, known locally as okada, due to the lack of official transportation.
High Court judges, while provided older official vehicles, reportedly face increasing reliability issues, yet requests for replacements or repairs put forward as early as 2024 remain unanswered, according to judiciary sources.
The tension culminated in an indefinite strike by magistrates, Presidents of Grade ‘A’ Customary Courts, Legal Research Officers and members of the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN). Negotiations between the unions and the Governor ended in deadlock, with the workers rejecting what they described as “half-measures and empty promises.”
“At the end of the meeting, our position was plain: no financial autonomy, no work,” a judicial source said, signalling that the strike would persist until full constitutional autonomy and improved welfare conditions are enacted.
In a striking show of protest, judiciary workers physically locked judges out of the Judiciary Headquarters in Akure, sealing the gates and leaving official vehicles idle outside as court activities statewide came to a standstill. By Tuesday, JUSUN’s participation had fully crippled the state’s justice system.
Critics of the Aiyedatiwa administration argue that the governor’s approach reflects a deeper disdain for judicial independence. Several judicial officers noted the irony of a leader who once benefitted from the judiciary now presiding over its “systematic humiliation and impoverishment.”
“The governor wants obedience without justice,” one aggrieved judicial officer said, stressing that the continued erosion of court funding and welfare undermines both the dignity of judicial office and the public’s faith in fair adjudication.
Observers point to similar industrial actions in neighbouring states, such as Kogi State in late 2025, as part of a broader challenge confronting state judiciaries struggling with executive interference and resource constraints.
With courts shuttered, litigation processes on hold, and detainees stuck in prolonged custody, the paralysis of the judiciary has raised grave concerns among legal experts and rights advocates about the rule of law, access to justice, and democratic governance in Ondo State.
Pressure is now mounting on Governor Aiyedatiwa to revisit budget priorities, ensure full implementation of constitutionally-guaranteed financial autonomy, and address the welfare grievances of judicial officers, measures that stakeholders argue are essential to restoring confidence in the justice sector.
