Magistrates in Kwara State have accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration of subjecting them to poor welfare conditions, alleging that many of them earn less than N200,000 monthly and have been forced to rely on commercial motorcycles (Okada) as their primary means of transportation to court.
Two magistrates who spoke exclusively to SaharaReporters on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals described their situation as “humiliating” and “degrading,” saying they have repeatedly been excluded whenever the state government distributes official vehicles to judicial officers.
According to the sources, judges of the superior courts, as well as top judicial administrators such as the Chief Registrar and Deputy Chief Registrar, have benefited from welfare improvements and vehicle allocations, while magistrates and Area Court judges continue to struggle.
“Most of us don’t own cars,” one of the magistrates said.
“Anytime the governor is distributing official vehicles, it is always judges of the High Court and other senior judicial officers that benefit. Magistrates are completely forgotten.”
The magistrates alleged that Grade Level 1 magistrates in the state earn less than N200,000 monthly, a salary they said is insufficient for a judicial officer expected to maintain the dignity of the bench.
“Because our salaries are not up to N200,000, how do you expect a magistrate to buy a car? We come to court on Okada every day. It is humiliating,” the source added.
The judicial officers lamented that the situation has become particularly embarrassing because litigants, lawyers and members of the public address them as “Your Worship” and “My Lord” during proceedings, only to see them afterwards struggling to secure commercial motorcycles for transportation.
“Imagine concluding proceedings where everyone stands and addresses you as ‘Your Worship,’ then immediately after court you are struggling to board an Okada with litigants and lawyers watching. It diminishes the dignity of the office and affects our confidence and productivity,” another magistrate told SaharaReporters.
The magistrates said the welfare challenges are not limited to the magistracy but also affect many Area Court judges across the state.
They argued that the neglect is particularly unfair because magistrates constitute the first point of contact for most Nigerians seeking justice and handle a substantial portion of criminal and civil cases in the state.
“We are the judicial officers closest to ordinary citizens. Sometimes a magistrate handles more than seven different matters in a single day, yet our welfare does not reflect the workload we carry,” one source said.
According to the sources, the financial hardship and lack of official transportation have increasingly affected morale among lower-court judicial officers.
They called on the Kwara State Government to urgently review the salaries and conditions of service of magistrates and Area Court judges, warning that continued neglect could undermine the efficiency and dignity of the state’s justice delivery system.
“We are not asking for luxury,” one of the magistrates said. “We are asking for conditions that allow judicial officers to perform their duties with dignity and independence.”
