The Law Hub Development and Advocacy Center, Abuja, and The Ositadinma Okoro Empowerment Foundation have dragged the Enugu State government to a state High Court in Nsukka over the planned demolition of Ogige Nsukka Market.
DAILY POST recall that the state government recently issued a 72-hour demolition notice to shop owners and occupants of buildings in the market to vacate.
According to the government, it was planning to move a modern transport terminal in the area.
Some stakeholders including both federal and state lawmakers had kicked against the move.
However, the silence from the government despite the public outcry, prompted the lawsuit.
In the suite marked, No. N/73/2024, the plaintiffs are asking the court to compel the state government to pay damages amounting to N50 billion as compensation to those that would be affected by the demotion.
The suite has the state Governor, Peter Ndubuisi Mbah and the Attorney General of the state as respondents.
The litigants anchored their action on what they described as the “manifest gross violation of the fundamental rights and the planned invasion and demolition of shops of the over 10, 000 traders of Ogige Market, Nsukka.”
The institutions are seeking, among other things, an order of perpetual injunction “restraining the Respondents, whether by themselves, their agents, privies or otherwise howsoever from further harassing, intimidating, trailing, scaring away the traders of Ogige Market Nsukka, from their shops, and properties, arresting or detaining them upon the same facts constituting the complaints enumerated in this application or in any other manner infringing on the applicants’ fundamental rights.”
In his court filings, counsel to the applicants, Olu Omotayo, who is leading two other lawyers, J.E. Akubue and Desmond Kakaan, averred that the over 10,000 traders in the Ogige market have invested over N10 billion in the development of the market since its inception over 50 years ago.
He further averred that on the 22nd May 2024, agents of the Respondents came to the market and gave the traders 72 hours to vacate the market.
“In a manner reminiscent of the military era, the agents of Enugu state government wrote on walls in the market the Notice that they should vacate within 72, hours. The traders of the Market have been trading peacefully in the market for over 50 years, before the respondents just woke up and gave them 72 hours, notice to vacate,” the court filing read in part.
They prayed the court to urgently restrain the respondents from further demolishing the market, to prevent further violation of the rights of the traders.