The Supreme Court of Nigeria has finally brought closure to a legal battle spanning nearly four decades, dismissing a 39-year-old lawsuit challenging the revocation and compulsory acquisition of Trans-Nkissi Layout in Onitsha by the former Anambra State Government.
The suit, originally filed in 1987 by Chinyelugo Denis Chude and 11 co-plaintiffs, questioned the legality of the state’s acquisition of the area, naming the Anambra State Government, the State Attorney-General, and the Commissioner for Lands as defendants. However, the plaintiffs’ failure to actively pursue the case led to it being struck out by Justice Agbata in 2008. When they attempted to have it relisted in 2015, the trial court rejected the request.
Okechukwu Ezeanyim, an Assistant Director at the Ministry of Justice, emphasized that the case had experienced prolonged inactivity, with no witnesses ever called. He further noted that Trans-Nkissi Layout had evolved into a highbrow residential area accommodating thousands of residents, making any reopening of the case both inequitable and against public policy.
The plaintiffs’ appeal to the Court of Appeal was dismissed for lack of merit, and their final recourse to the Supreme Court (SC/400/2018) was unanimously rejected. Justice Iyang Okoro delivered the lead judgment, joined by his fellow justices, officially ending the long-standing dispute.
In this article