Anambra Government Reviews Land Dispute Cases to Decongest Correctional Centres

Anambra State begins reviewing land dispute-related criminal cases to decongest prisons, targeting wrongful criminalisation of civil matters and potentially discontinuing prosecutions deemed civil under Attorney General-led justice reform.

The Anambra State Government has commenced a comprehensive review of criminal cases arising from land disputes as part of efforts to decongest correctional facilities and improve justice administration in the state.

The initiative was announced by the Office of the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Tobechukwu Nweke, and is aimed at identifying cases that may have been wrongly treated as criminal matters instead of civil disputes.

In a public notice signed by the Head of the Attorney General’s Chambers, Chinwe G. Okonkwo-Okom, the government expressed concern over what it described as the increasing criminalisation of civil land disputes, which account for a significant number of pending criminal cases in courts.

The Attorney General noted that the review exercise will cover all pending land-related criminal matters across the High Court and Magistrate Courts in the state, with the goal of determining which cases should be discontinued in line with constitutional powers.

Members of the public have been invited to submit petitions and relevant documents for review, especially in cases where they believe civil land disputes were wrongly prosecuted as criminal offences.

Required submissions include charge sheets or information, proof of evidence, and supporting documents, which are to be submitted at the Attorney General’s Conference Room, Ministry of Justice, Awka.

According to the notice, the exercise is designed to ensure that civil property disagreements are not improperly processed within the criminal justice system, a practice that has contributed to congestion in correctional centres.

The government stated that cases identified as civil in nature may be discontinued, while reinforcing proper legal procedures for handling land-related disputes.

The reform is part of broader justice sector efforts aimed at reducing prison overcrowding and strengthening efficient case management within the state’s judicial system.