The online platform bibncollar.com has reported allegations that the Imo State Government has continued activities on Housing Area “K” and Restoration Layout, New Owerri, notwithstanding a subsisting High Court judgment declaring the land in favour of the claimants and expressly restraining the government and those acting through it from entering, surveying, mapping or otherwise interfering with the property.
The platform describes the situation as a disturbing confrontation between executive power and judicial authority, and says its report is based on court documents and information made available to it.
The History Of The Suit
According to the report, the dispute dates back to 1999, when representatives of the Amawom people of Owerri Municipal Council instituted Suit No. HOW/146/1999 against the Imo State Government and other state authorities over the acquisition and control of the property.
The plaintiffs, acting for themselves and on behalf of the affected kindreds of Amawom Village, sought declarations affirming their entitlement to the statutory right of occupancy over the parcels, challenged purported government allocations, grants, leases and acquisition of portions of the land, and sought orders restraining the government from further interference.
The 2012 Interlocutory Injunction
The platform reports that the court had intervened long before the final determination.
Documents made available to it show that an order of interlocutory injunction was made in July 2012, restraining the government, its servants, agents, privies and hirelings from entering or dealing with the disputed land pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit. That order specifically restrained entry into the land, mapping it into plots, allocation of portions of it, and other acts inconsistent with the interests claimed by the plaintiffs.
The existence of the injunction was subsequently brought to public attention through a notice published in the Nigerian Horn, warning the government, its officers, agents and members of the public against acts of trespass or self-help while the litigation remained pending.
The Judgment Of 17 July
After more than two decades of litigation, judgment was delivered on 17 July 2026 in favour of the claimants.
The judgment order seen by the platform declared that the claimants were entitled to the statutory right of occupancy over Housing Area “K” and Restoration Layout situated within the New Owerri Capital Territory and delineated in the survey plan filed in the proceedings.
The court declared that “any purported allocation, grant or lease of plots of lands within the said Housing Area ‘K’ and Restoration Layout” by the defendants to any person or persons was unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void and of no effect whatsoever. It equally declared any purported acquisition of the affected land by the defendants unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.
The court further ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiffs N30 million as damages for trespass, and N5 million as costs of the action.
The court further ordered the defendants to pay the plaintiffs N30 million as damages for trespass, and N5 million as costs of the action.
The Allegations
The report states that sources made available to the platform allege that, notwithstanding the judgment, activities have continued on the affected property, including fencing and preparations for parcelling and development.
It notes the qualification that “if confirmed to be government-directed or undertaken by persons acting under government authority, such activities would appear directly at odds with the express terms of the perpetual injunction.”
The platform also reports allegations that members of the claimant communities have been threatened should they attempt to enter the land, describing those allegations as serious and stating that they should be investigated independently. It adds that no land dispute already subjected to judicial determination should become an excuse for intimidation, violence or the use of state power against citizens seeking to assert rights recognised by a court.
The Platform’s Commentary