By Uchenna Ezeadigwe
Awka
Stakeholders have called for far-reaching legal reforms, strategic litigation and stronger enforcement mechanisms to address Anambra State’s worsening environmental crisis and rising insecurity.
The call was made at the 5th Edition of the C.O. Anah, SAN Memorial Colloquium, held on Friday, June 12, 2026, at the Louis Mbanefo Bar Centre, Onitsha.
The colloquium, themed “The Anambra Wound: Climate Justice, Ecological Accountability and Insecurity,” brought together legal practitioners, environmental advocates, policymakers and security experts to examine the intersection between ecological degradation and insecurity in the state.
Speaking at the event, former Dean of the Faculty of Law, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, and Life Bencher, Professor Ogugua Ikpeze, paid glowing tribute to the late Chief C.O. Anah, SAN, describing him as an outstanding intellectual and advocate for justice.
“Chief Anah was an intellectual per excellence. He was a great advocate both in deed and in practice. He mentored many lawyers, and I was privileged to be one of them. Once convinced about the cause of justice, he never shifted,” Ikpeze said.
She also acknowledged Anah’s contributions to the development of the legal profession in Onitsha, noting that he was among those who laid the foundation of the Bar Centre.
In his keynote address, the Anambra State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Clem Aguiyi, challenged lawyers to expand their role beyond conventional legal practice by embracing environmental advocacy through public-interest litigation, legislative engagement and judicial enforcement of environmental obligations.
According to him, decades of ecological neglect, weak enforcement of environmental regulations and impunity by both public and private actors have left deep scars on the state’s landscape.
He urged members of the Nigerian Bar Association to initiate legal actions against defaulting contractors, illegal miners and other entities responsible for environmental degradation.
“Let us seek injunctions to halt destructive mining activities. Let us test the courts with suits for ecological reparations. The land is not just a resource; it is a client. And right now, that client is bleeding in court without representation,” Aguiyi stated.
Describing environmental degradation as one of Anambra’s most serious existential threats, the commissioner cited severe gully erosion in communities such as Nanka and Oko, recurrent flooding in Ogbaru and Anambra West, poor waste management and unchecked urbanisation.
Aguiyi proposed collaboration among the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Justice and NBA branches in the state to draft an Anambra Ecological Justice and Remediation Bill.
According to him, the proposed legislation should establish an Environmental Compensation Fund, impose strict liability on polluters and environmentally negligent operators, and empower affected communities to pursue legal remedies without unnecessary barriers.
The late senior advocate’s wife, Mrs Patricia Anah, described him as a gentleman who had a deep passion for intellectual discourse and legal scholarship.
According to her, the memorial colloquium was instituted in his honour to sustain conversations around pressing societal issues.
“It is obvious that Anambra State is experiencing environmental degradation and insecurity, and we felt something had to be done to address these challenges,” she said.
Chairman of the NBA Onitsha Branch, Afam Obi, stressed that environmental degradation, climate injustice and insecurity are interrelated challenges requiring innovative legal responses.
“When farmers lose their harvests to flooding and families are displaced by erosion, poverty and desperation follow. Those conditions often create fertile ground for insecurity. We cannot effectively address insecurity without addressing the ecological conditions that fuel it,” he said.
Also speaking, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Young Lawyers Forum, Onitsha Branch, Morah Chukwudalu Daniel, Esq., stressed the collective responsibility of citizens in ensuring a safe and habitable society.
“We must all play our part in ensuring that our communities remain safe, clean and secure. As legal practitioners, we are committed to ensuring that innocent people do not suffer unjustly through wrongful prosecution,” he said.
Earlier in her address, convener of the colloquium, Abuja-based legal practitioner and Executive Director of the Anah Centre for Social Justice, Adaeze Anah, said this year’s theme was informed by the growing environmental concerns and insecurity confronting the state.
“As a lawyer and environmentalist, I recognise the nexus between environmental issues and insecurity. Through this colloquium, we intend to draw attention to these concerns and stimulate meaningful discussions that can serve as catalysts for change,” she said.
Adaeze, who is also the daughter of the late Chief Anah, expressed hope that stakeholders would work collectively towards achieving a cleaner and safer Anambra through improved laws, policies and institutional frameworks.
Reflecting on her father’s legacy, she said his passion for the legal profession inspired her career path.
“He was an amazing father. I miss his wisdom, his company and his love for the law. He inspired me to become the person I am today,” she added.
She further decried the growing culture of plastic pollution, urging Nigerians to adopt environmentally responsible practices.
“We need to change our attitude towards plastic waste, rethink our disposal habits, embrace tree planting and support ethical environmental practices. Government, civil society organisations and the private sector must work together to promote environmental sustainability and address the root causes of crime,” she said.
However, participants at the colloquium also endorsed the establishment of a Statewide Environmental Litigation Task Force, comprising public-interest lawyers and senior advocates willing to champion strategic environmental cases capable of setting judicial precedents.
Among the keynote speakers at the event was Ibrahim Musa, an environmental law expert, waste management reformer and policy communications strategist, who spoke on the topic: “Plastic Pollution in Anambra’s Commercial Corridors: Sustainability Change and the Case for System Solutions.”
Retired Commissioner of Police Emmanuel Ojukwu, a law enforcement analyst and applied psychologist, delivered a presentation titled: “The Ecology-Insecurity Nexus in Anambra State: How Environmental Collapse Fuels Violence and Instability.”
Legal practitioner and scholar Chuka Osi, Esq., also addressed participants on the topic: “Climate Justice and Accountability in Anambra State: Obligations, Failures and the Path to Environmental Restoration.”
The colloquium concluded with a renewed commitment by stakeholders to pursue legal, institutional and community-driven solutions aimed at reversing environmental decline and addressing the insecurity challenges confronting Anambra State.
Observers at the event noted that legal intervention remains one of the most effective pathways for tackling the environmental degradation, insecurity and socio-economic dislocation affecting communities across the state.
