A legal practitioner, Abu Arome, has narrated what he described as an emotionally draining ordeal representing his non-Nigerian clients in a protracted land dispute, accusing a “notorious land predator” of “systemic manipulation and the weaponization of government institutions.”
In his account titled ‘My Odyssey: Battling Land Grabbers in the Pursuit of Justice, Arome wrote: “This case began, as many civil matters do, with my clients approaching the courts in September 2024 to challenge an unlawful encroachment on their property,” only to be met by “criminal allegations aimed at intimidating, discrediting, and ultimately dispossessing my clients.”
Reflecting on what he called the “deeper, more systemic rot,” Arome disclosed that, “For over 13 years, no one ever accused my clients of forgery. That changed immediately after they dared to protect what was lawfully theirs.” He added: “I, too, have now been accused, for events allegedly committed in 2009 and 2013, years during which I was still a university student. Imagine that!” Beyond the criminal charges, Arome lamented the complicity of public institutions and the media, saying, “Worst of all, I have seen how society, our media, our public institutions, and even many of our colleagues accept these injustices without scrutiny,” and observed that, “The press, hungry for scandal and funded by the highest bidder, publishes unverified allegations as if they were proven facts.”
Calling for urgent reforms, Arome recommended that “The Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) should, by law, be required to review all criminal investigations before any trial is initiated,” insisting that “our justice system cannot be great if the innocent must suffer to prove their innocence, or if lawyers are punished for standing on the side of truth.” He concluded by framing the dispute as part of a larger struggle, writing: “The fight for justice, in this case, is no longer just about land. It is about the soul of our legal system… May truth prevail: May Nigeria be great again.”
