By Brave Dickson
A magistrate court sitting in Port Harcourt has told those fighting over the chairmanship of Rumuokwurusi Town Council to settle with dialogue rather than using the instrumentality of the court.
Chief Magistrate, Kariba Braide gave the advice when she noticed the warring parties to be biologically related.
She said, “when I see family members coming to court to get judgment against one another, I usually advice them to settle out of court because the victor/vanquish judgment they will get from court will not give them lasting peace.
“I expect lawyers in communities to arbitrate over disputes in their area rather than allowing such disputes to degenerate into litigations in court.”
Speaking with our correspondent, the embattled Chairman, Rumuokwurusi Town Council, Comrade Kingsley Ejekwu accepted the advice of the court and promised to meet with the chiefs and stakeholders of the area so as to resolve their differences amicably.
“I will meet with my people to resolve our differences in line with the court’s directive.
“I doubt if I will get a successor when my tenure elapses June this year as the series of court litigations over my chairmanship will not pave the way for my successor until all pending issues before the court are disposed off, “Comrade Kingsley said.
You would recalled that the tenureship of Comrade Kingsley had in recent time witnessed interference by some chiefs and persons within and outside Rumuokwurusi town council.
In a bid to stop the interference of Comrade Kingsley’s chairmanship, an order was issued by the court.
The order reads in part, “that the 1st and 12th defendants, Chief Chigonum Ejekwu and Mr Nyeche Wehere and their agents are retrained from interfering with the tenure of the plaintiff, Kingsley Ejekwu pending the hearing of the motion on notice by this court.
“That the Nigeria Police including the state commissioner of police and every other police in the country are restrained from arresting the plaintiff, Comrade Kingsley and his executive until this matter is disposed off”.
Shortly after the order was made, the alleged detention of Comrade Kingsley by the police sparked condemnation by a collation of civil society organizations in Rivers State.
The coalition who made its position known at a press conference in Port Harcourt described the action of the police and some forces within and outside Rumuokwurusi town council as illegal, undemocratic, insisting that it was a calculated attempt to truncate the peace in the area.
The statement which was signed by the Executive Director, Justice Advocates Du Internationale, Barr Young Bassey; Executive Director, Human Rights Advocates, Barr Higher King; Executive Director, Legal for the International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Barr Paul Nwakwoala as well as the Executive Director, Electorates Rights Defence and Education Network, Comrade David Adejola also criticized the commissioner of police monitoring team over the detention of the Rumuokwurusi town council chairman.
The statement said, “the action of the state commissioner of police through his monitoring team in the detention of the Rumuokwurusi Town Council Chairman, Ejekwu on May 8, 2019 and released same day via administrative bail was illegal and unlawful.
“That the disruption of the activities at the Oil Mill Market and collection of revenue by unauthorized persons, same day Comrade Ejekwu was detained was a ploy to cart away the revenue of the town council from the market.”
The coalition therefore demanded that an open apology in the media be made by the state police boss to Comrade Kingsley Ejekwu, the people of Rumuokwurusi and the coalition within seven days of the news conference or faces claim of N500 million damage.
And that all those involved in the illegal collection of revenue at the Oil Mill Market on the said day should return the monies and be brought to book to serve as deterrence to others.
