Court operations across Enugu State came to a complete halt on Wednesday as judiciary workers embarked on a total and indefinite strike, shutting down key judicial facilities in the state capital.
From the early hours, the Hon. Justice J.C.N. Ngwu Judiciary Headquarters Complex was deserted, its main gates secured with heavy padlocks. A banner strung across the perimeter fence carried a blunt warning to lawyers, litigants, and visitors: “Workers on strike — keep off.”
Lawyers, court users, and administrative staff were turned back at the gates. Inside, the compound that would normally be alive with lawyers preparing briefs and registrars filing case papers stood empty, its driveways and corridors deserted.
The strike grounded every department in the complex to a halt, leaving hearings and rulings suspended with no timeline for resumption.
Also affected was the Enugu State Multi-Door Courthouse, an alternative dispute resolution facility commissioned under former Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi. Its glass doors were padlocked shut, cutting off access to mediation and arbitration services.
A lawyer identified as Ifebuche, who monitored the shutdown on-site, described it as a complete halt of the machinery of law, with every entrance chained and no proceedings going forward. She warned that the closure leaves citizens’ rights on hold, with pre-trial detainees, commercial disputes, and urgent injunctions caught in the fallout.
Other legal practitioners voiced frustration over the disruption to the court calendar, noting that matters scheduled months in advance are now stalled, and that the closure — however legitimate the workers’ grievances — risks creating a heavy backlog for the justice system.
Union representatives at the scene said the action would remain total and indefinite until the state government addresses all outstanding demands, adding that prolonged negotiations had failed to yield sufficient progress.
As it stands, the gates of the Ngwu Judiciary Headquarters Complex remain locked, with court proceedings across the state in limbo until an agreement is reached.
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