Outrage in Opi as Opi Lawyers Condemn “Illegal Conversion” of Customary Court Land to Market
The Opi community in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State is at the center of a growing legal and civic dispute following allegations that the Chairman of Nsukka Local Government Council, acting on the purported authority of the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Enugu State, has illegally converted part of the land belonging to the Opi Customary Court into a market.
This development has sparked serious outcry from the Opi Lawyers Forum—an association of over 100 legal practitioners indigenous to the Opi community—who have petitioned the Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nsukka Branch, calling for urgent intervention to halt what they describe as a flagrant abuse of judicial territory and the rule of law.
CONTINUE READING THIS ARTICLE BELOW AFTER THESE IMPORTANT NOTICES
Log in to primsol.lawpavilion.com and store.lawpavilion.com to enjoy the best E-journals, textbooks, and many more. For further enquiries/assistance, send an email to customercare@lawpavilion.com or call 08050298729
In a strongly-worded letter dated June 2025, signed by Dr. Agbo Casmir Uchenna (Chairman) and Chukwudi Nnamani Esq (Secretary), the Forum accused the Nsukka Council Chairman of invading the Customary Court premises with earth-moving equipment, armed security personnel, and hired thugs in January 2025, and initiating construction work for a commercial market in the remaining portion of the court’s land.
The letter recounted that the original act of encroachment began around 2014–2015 when the Nsukka Local Government Council, allegedly empowered by the President of the Customary Court of Appeal, Justice G.C. Nnamani, repurposed part of the Customary Court’s premises into a timber and building materials market. Despite repeated protests by donor villages and members of the legal community, the council continued to use the land for non-judicial purposes.
This year, the issue escalated when construction resumed on the remaining part of the land—despite the court building still being operational and in active use. According to the Forum, laborers under the direction of the council chairman have already completed foundational work and started laying cement blocks for lock-up shops around the court premises.
“This ongoing construction has rendered the judicial environment hostile and unsafe for legal practitioners, litigants, and court personnel,” the letter states. “The peaceful and solemn atmosphere required for the dispensation of justice has been replaced with commercial activities and security threats.”
The Opi Lawyers Forum emphasized that the land in question was freely donated by community members strictly for judicial purposes to bring justice closer to the people—not for commercial development. They denounced the move as “illegal, barbaric, unconstitutional,” and a direct affront to both the Bar and the Bench.
The lawyers have called on the Chairman of the NBA Nsukka Branch to:
1. Petition the President of the Nigerian Bar Association to liaise with the Governor of Enugu State and the head of the judiciary to return the land to judicial use.
2. Demand that the President of the Customary Court of Appeal Enugu withdraw any purported authorization given for the market project.
3. Engage the Chief Judge of Enugu State to take up the matter and check further judicial encroachment.
4. Consider disciplinary actions if the said judicial authority fails to withdraw the controversial authorization letter.
The lawyers also vowed not to allow the court and market to co-exist, warning that such an arrangement is incompatible and undermines the sanctity of judicial institutions.
FOR SUPPORT TO BARRISTERNG BLOG, DONATE TO: 1. NAIRA ACCOUNT: 1023046978 - UBA 2. USD ACCOUNT: 5090743566 - FIDELITY BANK PLC
Call Bridget Edokwe Esq on 08060798767 or send your articles to barristerngblog@gmail.com
A Must-Have for Every Lawyer: Order Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye’s Latest Books on Electronic Evidence Today: To order your copies, click the link below and order directly from the author:
https://velvety-cendol-7387ed.netlify.app/
SHOP NOW
The Price is 10k for Hard Copy less freight and 5k for E- Book copy in the Store of the Website. https://buokorie.com/store/ To access the hard copy, Call - 07087622283
