From Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The Gombe State branch of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has launched a two-week boycott of all court sittings starting Monday, June 2, 2025, to protest the alleged neglect of judges and judicial workers’ welfare in the state.
Addressing journalists in Gombe to mark the commencement of the boycott, the State Chairman of the NBA, Barr Benjamin Sati, described the judiciary as structurally weak and functionally incapacitated due to poor welfare conditions and inadequate care for judges, which he said impedes effective justice delivery.
The boycott, expected to last until Sunday, June 15, 2025, will see NBA members across the state abstain from all legal proceedings as part of a broader advocacy campaign to secure urgent intervention from the state government and relevant authorities.
“Some of our judges are still using vehicles purchased for them in 2010. Some magistrates ride motorcycles or take public transport to court, travelling alongside the very criminals they prosecute or sentence. Meanwhile, executive and legislative officers receive brand-new vehicles every four years,” Sati stated.
He added, “It is incumbent upon the government—executive, legislature, and judiciary—to ensure no arm is unjustly treated, subjected to poor welfare conditions, or denied opportunities for adequate training and retraining. We have made several unsuccessful attempts to meet with the Governor to formally present these concerns.”
Sati emphasised that the boycott aims to highlight critical challenges and systemic decay threatening the rule of law, not to cripple the justice system. “This action is not taken lightly. We are sending a clear message that the current situation is unacceptable. We must ensure the judiciary is not reduced to a rubber-stamp institution,” he said.
While commending the state government for initiating the construction of a new high court complex, described as one of the best in the country, Sati lamented the general state of judicial welfare. “Our judges are in deplorable conditions. They deserve better, especially given the enormous power they wield. A high court judge or magistrate holds the authority to detain or release individuals. If such officials are not adequately cared for, the risk of corruption and compromise becomes very high,” he warned.
As of Monday, June 2, 2025, neither the Gombe State Ministry of Justice nor the Office of the Chief Judge had issued a statement. The State’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barr Zubairu Muhammad Umar, speaking through the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Muhammad Ismail Hinna, declined to comment, stating, “I don’t want to join issues with the NBA.”
Legal observers across the state are closely monitoring the boycott, with growing calls for sustainable reforms and improved welfare for judges, judicial personnel, and court workers.