The community, Umuchigbo Iji Nike in Enugu East Local Government Area of the state, filed the suit at a State High Court in Enugu on 4 August.
The government was said to have forcefully acquired the land in 2020, prompting the community to file the suit on the grounds that they were not properly consulted in line with the extant provisions of the law guiding land acquisition, and that they had not been compensated. Justice Paul Ugwueze, in his ruling on Thursday, ordered the state government and the community to refrain from entering the land pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.The plaintiffs initially asked the vacation court to grant their motion on notice for interlocutory injunction.
The judge explained that he would not be able to deliver a ruling before the expiration of the vacation, and advised the parties to move to a regular court to argue their motion for interlocutory injunction.