By Musa Tanimu Nasidi
The member representing Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives,Hon. Shaba Ibrahim has called on the people of Lokoja/Kogi and Ajaokuta Federal Constituencies to remain calm as machineries has since been setup to appeal against the judgment delivered by Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, where the court granted the claimants,Attah of Igala relief’s suggesting that Ajaokuta,Lokoja and Koton karfe Area were part of the Attah’s Kingdom.
The lawmaker made the called during at a world press
conference jointly organised by the people of Lokoja, Ajaokuta and Koton karfe Local Government areas in Lokoja on Saturday.
He said while the people of the area reiterate their repect to court and judicial proceedings,the people of Lokoja/Kogi Federal Constituency and their Ajaokuta Federal Constituency counterpart,rejected in totality the verdict and its inherent consequences.
The statement read:
“Gentlemen of the press,
You may recall the federal high court of Nigeria,sitting lokoja is matter between His Royal Majesty, Michael Ameh Oboni,Attah Igalla and the Attorney General of the Federation ,and 1 Or delivered judgement on tuesday,the 2nd day of june,2020 where inter alia,the court granted the claimants reliefs suggesting that Ajaokuta,Lokoja and Kogi local government Areas back and recognizing them as part of Igala Kingdom.
While reiterating our long held respect for Courts and indeed judicial proceedings,we the people of Lokoja kogi Federal Constituency as owners and custodians of the land purportedly ceded to the claimants therein by the Federal high Court lokoja without prejudice to our rights to challenge the said judgement on appeal hereby Express our total rejection of the said verdict and its inherent consequences on the following
grounds;
(1) That we were not parties to the proceedings, neither were we at anytime aware of the pendency of any action in respect of our ancestral land despite been in active possession for over two centuries prior to this action. Since judgement of a court binds only parties to the proceedings, we therefore consider the pronouncement of the court ceding our land to the claimant bizarre and ipso facto unacceptable.
(2)That the claim before the court as gleaned from the processes filled was in one of declaration of title to land. It is our humble position and an elementary principle of law that the Federal High Court, sitting in Lokoja lacks the jurisdiction over land matters or action connected therein.
(3)Assuming, without conceding that the Court had jurisdiction, commencing an action for declaration of title to land which is a contentious and disputed issue vide originating summons is not only strange and inappropriate but outrightly bad and incurably so.
(4)That cause of action in this case having arisen since 1940, is statute barred,stale and thus rendering the action unmaintainable altogether.
(5) That the said action was commenced, maintained and prosecuted in complete disregard to extent laws particularly the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 as amended, the Land Use Act 1978 and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights, Ratification and Enforcement, promulgated to promote and protect human rights and basic freedoms in the African Coninent..
(6) That the claimants case before the court was in respect of land the boundaries of which were vague and unascertainable thus rendering the action incurably bad.
(7)That the action by the claimant and the reliefs sought failed to take cognisance of the cordiality of relationship between the component ethnic units of Kogi State and is capable of causing a breach of the peace.
We therefore call on the good, loving ,peaceful and Law abiding people of our areas to remain calm and law abiding as we have commenced the process of redress to set aside the said judgement on Appeal that has the trappings of redress to set aside the judgement on Appeal
That has the trappings of modern day slavery and consequently unacceptable to all lovers of freedom.” the lawmaker said.
In his on remarks the Adogu of eganye,Alhaji Muhammed Adambe said: “Ajaokuta is part of Ebira, we are family of kwararafa kingdom, we arrived at idah same time with Igalas but unending chieftaincy t tustle between the Ebira and the Igalas, made us left and decided to cross over and left idah to our present location.,
Are we going to allow them to took away our ancestry home”
Our position on this case is we are not going to take it lightly, koton Karfe is for koto people,while Lokoja belongs to Lokoja people that’s the position of Ajaoukuta people.” the royal father said.
Also speaking, representing of Ohimegye Igu of Koton karfe and Ohimozi Ogbake of Igu,Dr Abdullahi Bako,called on members of Kogi State House of Assembly to enact a law that would make the Chairmanship of Kogi state Council of Chiefs rotational.
According to him: “We want the rotation of the Chairmanship of Kogi state Council of Chief between th Okene,Lokoja and Koton karfe.
The Attah of Igala used his position as the chairman of council of chiefs to instituted the controversial suit against the people of Koton karfe,Lokoja and Ajaokuta,we therefore appealed to governor Yahaya Bello and members of Kogi state house of Assembly to enact a law that would make the Chairmanship of Kogi state Council of Chiefs rotational since all of us come from Kwararafa descendants” he said
The press conference was attended by Hon. Isah Tanimu Umar and his counterpart from Lokoja 2 Constituency.
The makama of Lokoja who reps His Royal Highness,the Maigari of Lokoja, Alhaji Muhammadu Kabir Maikarfi,the
Ohi of Eganye,Alhaji Isah Achuja,Adogu of Eganye,HRH Muhammed Adambe among others.
Also in attendance include, members of Danko Development Forum Alhaji Bala Haruna and Alhaji Sule Baba Barde of Lokoja,Lokoja Forum of Patriots, PDP Lokoja local government Chairman, Hon Idris Lokoja and his APC counterpart,Hon. Maikudi Bature.
Others are: Commissioner of Solid Mineral, Engineer Bashir Gegu and his counterpart from Women Affairs, Alhaji Ali Lawal ,Mr Hassan Diko, traditional title holders across the two Federal Constituencies.
