An Anambra High Court sitting in Onitsha has ruled a debt recovery case in favour of a Chinese national.
In a final judgment delivered by Justice J.I. Nweze, on a civil case of recovering the debt owed to a Chinese citizen, Mr Xu Jiang, whose company based in China supplied goods to an Onitsha-based businessman, Mr Nnamdi Okonkwo, through his Nigerian company, on credit.
In his judgement, Justice Nweze ordered the Defendants to pay the Chinese nationale all the outstanding debt, with 5% interest on the debt, calculated annually, until the final liquidation of the judgement debt.
In a swift reaction to the judgement, the counsel to the complainant, Mr. Ejiofo Umegbogu said that the ruling would restore confidence on Nigeria's business image in world trade, especially between Nigeria and China.
He also commended the speedy despensation of justice by the court.
" What is instructive is that I filed a lawsuit against the Onitsha business man on 25th day of March, 2026, and within 3 months the matter was conclusively decided by the court, despite the attempt by the learned counsel to the Defendant to employ procedural technicalities to prolong the matter unnecessarily.
And the court also awarded me #500,000 as the cost of litigation, while my client got 5% interest on the debt owed to him calculated annually, until the final liquidation of the debt.
I thanked my lord for that swift and speedy dispensation of justice, which will increase the hope and confidence of all persons doing business in Nigeria, whether citizen or expatriate.
" Now, this victory shows that the judiciary in Nigeria and Indeed, Anambra State can dispense justice speedily. As such, people should renew their confidence in our court system by always approaching the courts wherever there are issues of trade disputes arising from business transactions.
" It is usually counter-productive to report such trade disputes to the police, because security agencies are not debt recovery institutions.
" Rather, as law enforcement agencies, they could be engaged to enforce the judgement order made by the court" Mr. Umegbogu said.
He said that the Nigerian businessman took delivery of the goods and sold off, yet, refused to remit back the funds to the Chinese supplier, since 2023, despite several demands for payment.
The legal luminary however advised Nigerians to have faith in the judiciary.
" Again, people should jettison the primitive thinking that it is better to report such commercial disputes to oracles. Our oracles should not be desecrated with financial claims, which will ultimately lead to the claimants trying to bribe the servants or priests of those shrines". He said.
He urged citizens to consult legal practitioners of their choice for advice on how to handle such matters of trade disputes, professionally, rather than resorting to self help.