The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Osun State has issued an ultimatum, warning that the months-long shutdown of courts under Governor Ademola Adeleke could snowball into a full-blown constitutional breakdown, “capable of precipitating a state of emergency.”
SaharaReporters gathered that the lawyers, who accused the governor of lethargy in resolving the crisis, fired a jointly signed letter to Adeleke, demanding that the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) be compelled to return to work within seven days.
Courts across Osun have remained under lock and key since September 22, 2025, following a crippling industrial strike over welfare, stalled promotions and what judicial workers describe as “arrogant neglect” by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) and state authorities.
The five NBA branches in the state — Osogbo, Ikirun, Iwo, Ife and Ilesa — told Adeleke that Osun was now on the brink of total judicial paralysis.
“If prolonged, this closure may lead to a situation akin to a state of emergency,” the lawyers warned.
Their letter, signed by Maruf Adediran, Niyi Akinsola, F.O. Ajani, Ayodele Olawoye and Raymond Oki, accused Adeleke’s appointees on the Judicial Service Commission of deliberately sabotaging reconciliation efforts by refusing to attend peace meetings convened by the Chief Judge, Justice Adepele Ojo.
SaharaReporters learnt that JUSUN leadership, after allegedly ignoring official invitations, also boycotted a joint mediation session organised by the NBA and the Chief Judge, effectively collapsing negotiations.
The NBA said the conduct of the governor’s JSC nominees proves that the state government is either complicit in the impasse or “willingly indifferent to the constitutional implications.”
They warned that constitutional governance cannot survive when courts are shut, cases abandoned, detainees languishing in correctional centres, and civil liberties trapped in political limbo.
JUSUN had earlier accused the judiciary leadership of treating the union with contempt, citing a September 3 letter allegedly ignored by the JSC.
“The Osun State Judiciary leadership is not committed to upholding the rule of law and industrial harmony,” JUSUN chairman, Idris Adeniran, declared in September.
