The Enugu State government has announced plans to establish Dispute Resolution Centres across all Local Government Areas (LGAs) to speed the settlement of civil disputes and unclog formal courts.
The initiative — revealed by the state’s Ministry of Justice during a policy briefing — aims to decentralize alternative dispute resolution (ADR) services and make formal justice more accessible for communities. Each centre will offer mediation and arbitration services for land conflicts, family disputes, small commercial disagreements, and other non-violent matters.
Officials said the centres will be staffed by trained mediators, legal officers and community liaison personnel, and will operate under state-regulated guidelines to ensure fairness and enforceable outcomes. The government hopes the program will reduce litigation backlog, cut legal costs for citizens, and promote social cohesion by resolving disagreements before they escalate.
A pilot phase will begin in selected LGAs before a statewide rollout; the ministry invited stakeholders, traditional rulers and civil society organisations to collaborate on training and outreach to ensure community buy-in.
                     Â
Â
Â
