Court ends 30-yrs land dispute in Anambra

An  Anambra State High Court, sitting in Awka, has put to rest a 30-year-old land dispute  between Chief Samuel  Okoye of Umuike family and Onyali Ekengwu family of Umuakpala /Umuokpalaudu families both of Mbaukwu ,Awka South LGA, Anambra State.

Delivering judgment, on Thursday, on the matter filed by Mr. Ezekiel Ekengwu and his son, Emmanuel, as Plaintiff 1 and 11, against Chief Samuel Okoye as Defendant, Justice Ibeh Onyefu of High Court 4, ruled that the Plaintiffs failed to prove that the defendant was their customary tenant and migrant.

Justice Onyefu, who added that the action was lacking in merit, dismissed the suit whose number was A/2362010 with a cost of N20, 000 awarded to the defendant.

The High Court had, some months back, dismissed another court case with suit number A/2352010 where the plaintiffs made claims for special damages claiming that the Defendants went into one of their lands and maliciously felled economic trees and damaged their cement blocks.

Speaking over the judgment, counsel to Chief Samuel Okoye, Barr. Cliff Nsofor, thanked God that both lawyers were alive to witness the judgment.

He, however, observed that the plaintiffs have the right to appeal the judgment up to Supreme Court level if they so wished.

Reacting, Chief Anayo Nwankwo Obiajulu, brother to the defendant, said that judiciary remains the hope of a common man.

According to Obiajulu, the outcome of the dispute which has lingered for over 30 years is freedom to Umuike people who had been subjected to slavery in their land for long.