The Nigerian Bar Association, Gombe State branch, has announced a one-week boycott of all court proceedings across the state beginning Monday, June 2, 2025, to protest what it described as the persistent neglect of judges and judicial workers’ welfare.
The action, expected to last until Sunday, June 6, aims to draw attention to the deteriorating state of the judiciary and advocate for urgent government intervention to revamp the system.
Addressing journalists in Gombe, the NBA Chairman in the state, Barrister Benjamin Sati, decried the working conditions of judicial officers, describing the judiciary in Gombe as “structurally weak and functionally incapacitated.”
According to him, “Some of our judges still operate with vehicles procured as far back as 2010. It’s even worse for magistrates—many commute to court on commercial motorcycles or public buses, sometimes alongside the very suspects they are prosecuting or sentencing.”
He criticised the imbalance in government priorities, pointing out that while executive and legislative officers are furnished with new official vehicles every four years, judges and magistrates are left to struggle. “This speaks volumes about the disregard for the third arm of government,” Sati said.
The NBA chairman stressed that the boycott was not designed to paralyse the justice system but to raise the alarm over growing concerns about the erosion of judicial independence and integrity. “We are compelled to take this action not out of defiance, but in defense of the rule of law. A judiciary reduced to a rubber stamp cannot serve justice,” he stated.
Sati lamented the lack of access to the Gombe State Governor, despite several attempts to seek dialogue and formally present the association’s concerns. “We have made multiple efforts to secure an audience with the Governor—all unsuccessful. That in itself is telling,” he said.
He also underscored the broader implications of poor judicial welfare, warning that underfunding the judiciary increases the risk of compromise. “A magistrate or high court judge holds the authority to either detain or release a citizen. If those vested with such powers are not properly supported, we’re inviting corruption into the justice process,” he cautioned.
While acknowledging the government’s recent effort to construct a new high court complex—praised as one of the most modern in the country—Sati insisted that physical infrastructure alone cannot fix a failing system. “We commend the high court project, but it doesn’t make up for the deplorable welfare conditions under which our judicial officers currently operate,” he said.
As of press time, neither the Gombe State Ministry of Justice nor the office of the Chief Judge had responded to the development. When contacted, the state’s Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Zubairu Umar, via the Solicitor-General Muhammad Ismail, said “I don’t want to join issues with the NBA.”
