Legal practitioners under the auspices of Opi Lawyers Forum (OLF) on Saturday protested the alleged grabbing of Opi Customary Court land by Nsukka Local Government Council Chairman, Chief Jude Asogwa to build a market
The lawyers accused the council boss of converting parts of the customary court land to build market lockup shops, which according to them would distort the serenity of the court environment.
They lawyers, in a peaceful protest, gathered at the customary court premises where market building foundation by the Nsukka LG was ongoing.
Addressing newsmen shortly after conducting members of the forum round the customary court land, Mr Casimir Agbo, the Chairman of the Opi Lawyers Forum, said they were at the court to protest the illegality of building a market within the court environment.
"We are here to protest against this illegality that will make the court environment unconducive for judges, lawyers and judicial workers.
"Building a market in court premises is not in tandem with the principle of court which means silence; there is nowhere in the world where court and market coexist.
"We are not happy with this development, that is why lawyers from Opi Nsukka are protesting this illegality today.
"Encroachment on court premises is what we are fighting for and we are not going to backdown 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 National Judicial Council (NJC) to call the council chairman to order," he said.
Agbo threatened that the forum would head to court if after exhausting all avenues the chairman refused to listen to voice of reason.
"As people in temple of Justice, we are asking that court premises should remain a quite and serene environment.
"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 foundation within the customary court premises most be stopped," he added.
The forum chairman explained that their forefathers gave the land to the customary court in 1917 and not to the Nsukka LG, adding that the court should return the land to the community if they were no longer making use of it than diverting it for another purpose.
Some members of the forum present during the protest included Alex Ugwuanyi, Gabby Aboyi, Amaechi Eze, Cosmas Ugwueze, former Nsukka LG Chairman, Apollonia Agbo, among others.
When contacted, the LG chairman (Asogwa) said building of the market by the council in Opi was to develop the area, as well as key into the developmental agenda of Gov. Peter Mbah of Enugu State.
The LG boss said he had met with some members of Opi Lawyers Forum and they only urged him not to build the market shops in certain area of the customary court, which he agreed.
"During the meeting I had with some members of the forum, they told me that the market should not cover the entire area of the customary court, which I agreed.
"There was no time they said I should stop building the market in the entire area given to Opi Customary Court," he said.