In Nigeria, most people will prefer to stay away from going to court when some issue arises due to how messed up the sector has been. An issue can take as long as 5 to 10 years before getting resolved, and in most cases, the judgment might not be fair, coupled with the whole pile of stress and expenses involved. So depending on the issue at hand, if it's something you can let go of or find an alternative way to resolve, that would be the best.
It's common to have people step on our rights; I mean, that's human nature for you. There's a popular statement that human beings are naturally selfish; however, I believe that some people are still disciplined enough to lay aside their selfish nature while dealing with each other. Having said that, as much as we strive to stay out of trouble, somehow trouble may still find us. People can be cunning and will always seek ways to cheat their fellow humans.
I have had different experiences with people that require that I sue them or even arrest them to suffer at the police station, but upon reflection, I will decide to let go. Letting go does not mean that I am weak or that I do not know my rights. No, I am not a fool, but I prefer my peace of mind, which is a luxury. However, there's this particular case where I sue the young guy in court, at least for the first time in my entire life.
I vividly remember how hubby and I were saving consistently to acquire a landed property where we could build our own house in Lagos State, Nigeria. I remember making a lot of sacrifices just to achieve this dream, as did he, and then, at the end of the day, a man from nowhere wanted to ruin our effort. For you to know how much I wanted to avoid a court case, we gave this young man one full year to release our land document, but he refused. Imagine selling us land when he needed funds to travel to the United Kingdom. He got the funds from us, settled all his pending bills, and then traveled. After settling down, he realized that he shouldn't have sold his land and then told us that he would refund the money instead. Can you imagine such a cheater? A good friend, for that matter. I was like, Someone should wake me up from this dream. It was unimaginable, but unfortunately, it is a reality.
After politely waiting for him for more than a year as a friend to come back to his senses and do the needful by releasing our land document, but yet he failed to do so, hubby and I had no other choice but to sue him. Good enough, he had no tangible evidence to win the court case on the D-day. It was a very simple session at the court, and the court ordered him to release our documents immediately. He later did not only release the documents but also apologized for his selfish interests. Perhaps if we hadn't taken legal action, he wouldn't have done the needful.
This was my first experience seuing someone and visiting the court as well, and of course, I didn't regret taking such action in this particular case; otherwise, people will think that they can eat their cake and always have it back.
Thanks for reading through♥️♥️♥️.
This post is in response to the #hivelearners contest on the topic titled, To sue or not to sue.
Please note:, the thumbnail was designed using canva while the second image is mine
