Retired judicial officers in Kogi State have issued a stern 14-day ultimatum to Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo and the Kogi State Government to settle their long-overdue entitlements and allowances or face legal action in a competent court of jurisdiction.
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The ultimatum was issued on their behalf by renowned legal luminary, JCI Senator Mutalubi Ojo Adebayo, SAN, who described the prolonged withholding of the judges’ benefits as “callous, abnormal and irresponsible.”
In a strongly-worded statement dated Monday, January 19, 2026, and issued from Ibadan, Senator Adebayo emphasized that the entitlements being demanded are not privileges but legal rights prescribed by the National Wages and Salaries Commission.
“I do hereby give 14 days ultimatum to the Governor and the Government of Kogi State to settle all the due entitlements and allowances of the retired judicial officers in Kogi State, failing which I shall proceed to a competent court of jurisdiction to file an action to compel the government to pay same and also ask for damages and punitive costs,” the Senior Advocate declared.
The legal crusade was sparked by a phone call from one of Nigeria’s most respected retired judges, Honourable Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye (Rtd), described by Senator Adebayo as “one of the finest minds that ever adorned the bench of this country, cerebral, erudite, articulate, very forthright and incorrupible.”
Justice Ajileye had appealed to the Senior Advocate to assist in “liberating the judicial officers of Kogi State who are equally suffering in silence from the tyranny and oppression of the Kogi State Governor and the Kogi State Government.”
Senator Adebayo recalled giving Justice Ajileye his word of assurance that he would take up the matter and ensure all due allowances and entitlements are paid, just as he had successfully fought for judicial officers in Osun State.
The Senior Advocate lavished praise on Osun State Governor, Senator Nurudeen Ademola Jackson Adeleke, for demonstrating exemplary leadership in promptly settling outstanding entitlements owed to judicial officers in that state.
“The Governor of Osun State earned my greatest respect and adoration because, even though government is a continuum, he merely inherited those backlog of unpaid allowances and dues owed the judicial officers in the state from the two previous governments of APC in the State,” Senator Adebayo stated.
He commended Governor Adeleke for settling all outstanding obligations “without waiting for the ultimatum that I gave the State to elapse and thus preventing the need for a recourse to filing unnecessary litigations and its attendant costs and time.”
The legal icon also praised Mr. Tunde Busari, one of Governor Adeleke’s media aides, who personally drove from Osun State to Ibadan to explain the government’s challenges and assure him of the governor’s commitment to resolving the matter.
Senator Adebayo did not mince words in condemning what he described as the “callous, abnormal and irresponsible withholding and or non-payment of the due entitlements and allowances of the judicial officers in Kogi State.”
“I condemn such acts of misgovernance and trample on human rights of fellow citizens as a display of executive recklessness, tyranny, oppression and anti-people,” he stated. “It is even a genocide targeted at the smooth administration of justice with a view to truncate and pervert same.”
The Senior Advocate suggested that examining the character of a state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice often reveals the reasons for governmental drift toward “perfidy and malady.”
Drawing from his personal experience as Attorney-General of Oyo State, Senator Adebayo recounted how the government of Senator Abiola Ajimobi inherited a similar situation in 2011.
Eleven retired judicial officers, including five former Chief Judges—Hon. Justices N.O. Adekola, M.O. Adio, Afolabi Adeniran, R.O. Oyetunde, and J.O. Ige (all now of blessed memory)—had sued the previous government for their severance allowances and gratuities.
“When the retired judicial officers wrote to my Governor and also endorsed a copy to me, I did not wait for the directive of the Governor before I directed the Director of Civil Litigation to withdraw the appeal from the Court of Appeal,” Senator Adebayo recalled.
He promptly prepared a memorandum to Governor Ajimobi, rendering legal advice to settle all due entitlements forthwith with a written apology. The Governor approved, and all entitlements were fully paid.
Hon. Justice Arasi later referenced this “purposeful governance” in his autobiography, praising the government, the Governor, and Senator Adebayo while condemning the irresponsible acts of the previous administration.
Senator Adebayo extended his condemnation to all Nigerian states where judicial officers’ rights are being violated.
“Injustice to one anywhere is injustice to all everywhere. Irresponsible and non-responsive government must not be tolerated anywhere within the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he declared.
With the 14-day ultimatum now officially running, the Kogi State Government faces a critical decision: settle the retired judges’ entitlements or face potentially costly and embarrassing litigation.
The development adds to mounting pressure on state governments across Nigeria to prioritize the welfare of judicial officers, whose independence and well-being are crucial to the administration of justice.
As the deadline approaches, all eyes will be on Governor Ododo’s response to this high-profile intervention by one of Nigeria’s most respected legal minds.
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