The Supreme Court of Nigeria has brought an end to a 39-year legal dispute over the revocation and compulsory acquisition of Trans-Nkissi Layout in Onitsha, dismissing the suit filed against the Anambra State Government.
The case, originally instituted in 1987 by Chinyelugo Denis Chude and 11 others, challenged the legality of the acquisition of the area by the then Anambra State government.
However, the prolonged litigation suffered multiple setbacks over the years. The trial court struck out the matter in 2008 due to lack of diligent prosecution, as the plaintiffs failed to call witnesses or actively pursue the case.
An attempt by the plaintiffs to relist the suit in 2015 was also rejected by the trial court.
During proceedings, an Assistant Director in the Ministry of Justice, Okechukwu Ezeanyim, argued that the case had remained dormant for years and that reopening it would be unjust, given the current status of the land.
According to him, the area had evolved into “a highbrow residential layout housing thousands of residents,” adding that reviving the suit would be “inequitable and contrary to public policy.”
Dissatisfied with the trial court’s decision, the plaintiffs appealed to the Court of Appeal, but their case was dismissed for lacking merit.
They subsequently approached the Supreme Court in a final bid for redress.
Delivering the lead judgment, Justice Iyang Okoro, with other justices concurring, upheld the earlier decisions and dismissed the appeal, effectively closing the decades-long dispute.
The ruling marks a definitive end to one of the longest-running land cases in the state, affirming the validity of the government’s acquisition and maintaining the status quo of the developed residential area.
