From Felix Ikem Nsukka
Legal practitioners under the auspices of Opi Lawyers Forum (OLF) have protested the alleged grab of Opi customary court land by the Nsukka Local Government Council Chairman, Chief Jude Asogwa.
They accused the council boss of converting parts of the court’s land to build market lockup shops which according to them, will distort the serenity of the court environment.
During their peaceful protest at the customary court premises where foundation for the building of the market had already been dug, at the weekend, they insisted that a market and court cannot operate in the same premises.
Chairman of the Opi Lawyers Forum, Casmir Agbo who addressed newsmen shortly after conducting their members around the Opi customary court land, said that they were determined to resist the illegality.
“We are not happy with this development, that is why lawyers from Opi Nsukka are protesting today.
“Encroachment of court premises is what we are fighting against and we are not going to back down in this legal fight, we will not use violence because we are lawyers but we will follow the matter to its logical conclusion.
“This customary court is owned by the judiciary and not by the local government, that is why we have petitioned the Chief Judge of Enugu State, the President of Enugu Customary Court, Enugu State Government, as well as the Nigeria Judiciary Commission (NJC) to call the council chairman to order,” he said.
Agbo threatened that the forum would take the matter to court after exhausting all avenues without the chairman listening to the voice of reason.
He further disclosed: “We interfaced with the council chairman, and he only agreed to stop the market building in front of the court but the forum insisted that all foundations within the customary court premises must be stopped.”
Daily Sun contacted, the LG Chairman, Asogwa, and he said that building of the market by the council in Opi was to develop the area as well as a way of keying into the development agenda of the state governor, Mr. Peter Mbah.
Asogwa said that he had met with some members of the lawyers’ group and they only urged him not to build the market shops in certain areas of the customary court land.
“There was no time they said I should stop building the market in the entire area given to Opi Customary Court,” he said.