Magistrates in Cross River State have suspended their industrial action after weeks of paralysed lower-court activities, but they have warned that the truce is temporary and tied to concrete government action by September.

The decision followed a marathon meeting with the state’s Chief Judge, Justice Akon Ikpeme, who stepped in to mediate between the striking magistrates and the executive arm of government. The talks were convened after the magistrates resumed a suspended strike over what they described as chronic neglect of their welfare and unfulfilled promises made by the state government in 2023.

Chairman of the Magistrates Association of Nigeria, Cross River chapter, Godwin Onah, confirmed that the strike had been suspended, not called off. He explained that the association opted for a conditional truce based on assurances relayed through the Chief Judge that their long-standing demands would be addressed within a specific timeframe.

According to Onah, the magistrates have effectively given the government up to September to implement key commitments. Failure to do so, he suggested, could see the courts once again plunged into crisis as the association reviews its options.

At the heart of the dispute is the demand for basic tools and conditions of service that magistrates say are essential for the proper administration of justice. Top of the list is the provision of official vehicles and suitable accommodation for magistrates posted across the state’s local government areas.

Onah noted that the association recognises the financial and logistical challenges of building official residences in every locality. As a compromise, it has proposed the payment of housing allowances as an interim measure, allowing magistrates to secure decent accommodation while the state works out longer-term solutions.

The association is also insisting on the payment of wardrobe allowances, a standard entitlement in many jurisdictions to support judicial officers in maintaining appropriate court attire, which they argue is part of the dignity and decorum of the bench.

Although no formal memorandum of understanding has been signed with the government, the magistrates say they are relying on the moral weight of the Chief Judge’s intervention and the expectation that the executive will not squander the opportunity to restore stability to the state’s justice system.