The Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) has directed its members nationwide to shut down all courts for failure to implement the Judgment of Federal High Court on the financial autonomy of the state judiciaries.

A communiqué released after a meeting of the union read: “The security and protection of our members is no longer guaranteed in this leadership crisis that has engulfed the Rivers State Judiciary in the last one year”.

The Union also said it would not resume work unless the critical stakeholders in Rivers State amicably resolve the matter so as to ensure security of the workers.

The decision to commence the strike is coming after the exhaustive deliberation on the refusal/failure of State governments to respect/implement the Federal High Court Abuja, judgment/orders in respect of financial autonomy of state Judiciaries as well as failure of stakeholders to abide by the decision to set up a technical implementation committee of the FAAC meeting of June 17.

The National Executive  Council (NEC) of union further directed all the National Secretariat of the Union to notify Federal Judiciary workers to join the action as events unfolds and also ordered that the National Executive Committee of the Union should  review the events in Rivers State.

Members of the JUSUN in the state had embarked on strike prior to this time and the union told them to continue and sustain their current strike until the major stakeholders find an amicable resolution of the leadership crisis in Rivers State judiciary.

Meanwhile the NEC in session has announced total takeover of action in River State, with the union describing as “unfair” the situation whereby the National Judicial Council and the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission was issuing separate conflicting directives for and against returning to work.