Two non-governmental organizations, the Registered Trustees of Law Hub Development and Advocacy Centre and the Registered Trustees of Ositadimma Okoro Empowerment Foundation, have filed a lawsuit against Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State over the demolition of the Ogige Nsukka Market.

The lawsuit, filed in the High Court sitting in Nsukka under suit number N/73/2024, also names the state Attorney-General as a respondent.

The plaintiffs are demanding N50 billion in damages, claiming that the demolition of shops belonging to over 10,000 traders was a gross violation of their fundamental rights.

They argue that the 72-hour notice given to traders to vacate their properties on May 22, and the subsequent use of force to remove them, violated their constitutional rights to own movable and immovable properties as guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.

The state government justified the demolition as part of an urban renewal initiative. However, the plaintiffs highlight that the demolitions affected several significant properties, including the Our Saviour Institute of Science and Technology (OSISATECH), a Nigerian Red Cross Society motherless babies home in Enugu, sections of the Ogige Market in Nsukka, and a motor park in Gariki, Awkunanaw, Enugu.

The NGOs are seeking a perpetual injunction to restrain the respondents and their agents from further harassing, intimidating, or detaining the traders of Ogige Market. They are also asking the court to prevent any actions that would infringe on the traders’ fundamental rights.

In their plea, the plaintiffs emphasized that the government’s actions constituted a violation of the traders’ rights and sought the court’s intervention to ensure justice and protection for those affected by the demolitions.