By RismadarVoice Reporters – December 8, 2025
Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Osun State has issued its strongest warning yet, declaring that the prolonged closure of courts across the state could soon plunge Osun into a full-blown constitutional crisis and potentially – a state of emergency.
In a hard-hitting letter dated Monday, December 8, 2025, addressed to Governor Ademola Adeleke, the chairmen of the five NBA branches in the state said the judiciary had been “crippled for 78 days,” forcing citizens to seek justice elsewhere.
The letter was copied to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Adewale Egbedun, Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo, Attorney General, Oluwole Jimi-Bada and JUSUN Chairman, Idris Adeniran.
The NBA chairmen: Maruf Adediran (Osogbo), Niyi Akinsola (Ikirun), F. O. Ajani (Iwo), Ayodele Olawoye (Ife), and Raymond Oki (Ilesa) said the situation had escalated beyond an industrial dispute.
“A state where courts are perpetually shut is a state without law. A state without law is a state drifting toward anarchy,” the Association warned.
Courts have been locked since September 22, 2025 following the strike declared by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN).
The union is protesting stalled promotions, poor welfare, and alleged silence from the State Judicial Service Commission (JSC).
The NBA reported that they have made several attempts to mediate, including separate meetings with the Chief Judge, the Attorney General, and JUSUN leadership.
However, talks collapsed when, according to the Association, JUSUN boycotted a joint meeting convened by the Chief Judge.
Worse still, the NBA says the Judicial Service Commission, whose members were appointed by Governor Adeleke “frustrated” reconciliation by refusing to attend the meeting.
The refusal of key JSC members to attend a meeting convened by the Hon. Chief Judge signals a dangerous breakdown in the administration of justice in Osun,” the letter reads.
Legal experts say the implications of a three-month judiciary shutdown are severe:
•Awaiting-trial inmates are stuck in detention without court dates.
•Victims of domestic violence cannot access restraining orders.
•Land disputes and commercial cases are piling up, crippling businesses.
•Police investigations are stalled due to lack of remand orders.
A senior lawyer who requested anonymity said Osun is now “running purely on executive discretion without judicial oversight,” adding.
“This is how democracy collapse, not with guns, but with silence in the courts.”
The Association has demanded that Governor Adeleke intervene immediately by directing JUSUN to return to work within seven days and compelling all JSC members to attend crisis-resolution meetings.
It also wants a structured timeline for addressing JUSUN’s grievances.
Failure to act, the NBA warns, will leave the state vulnerable to widespread disorder.
The crisis has also raised uncomfortable questions:
•Why has the Judicial Service Commission refused to meet?
•Why has the executive not intervened in a dispute that is paralyzing the justice system?
•How long can a state function without its courts?
As Osun enters its third month without judicial activity, civil society groups are afraid that the shutdown is normalizing lawlessness and eroding public trust in institutions.
With intense tension mounting, the NBA insists its warning is not political but a constitutional alarm.
“Courts must not be allowed to die in Osun,” the lawyers declared.
Whether Governor Adeleke acts decisively, or allow the crisis to deteriorate further, will shape the state political and institutional stability in weeks ahead.
