Tina Amanda
A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Thursday adjourned for hearing, the suit filed by a group under the aegis of Ogoni Liberation Initiative against the Attorney General of the Federation and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC).
During the proceedings, the counsel representing the 1st Defendant, Shell, served the Claimant Counsel their statement of defence, having received all the processes from the Claimant, while the 2nd Defendant Counsel representing the Attorney General of the Federation was absent in court.
The Claimant Counsel applied for an adjournment, urging the court to grant them time to go through the voluminous process served on them by the company in order to respond on point of law.
He also urged that shell should give them their demands, rather than serve voluminous processes on them, which Counsel to SPDC did not oppose his application.
Justice Emmanuel Obille, after listening to Counsels’ submissions, encouraged parties in the matter to resolve their differences amicably and out of court, while the case was adjourned to 21 January 2021, for hearing.
Answering questions from our correspondent, Finjite Amachree, Claimant’s Counsel, said due to the voluminous process served on them was the reason hearing of the case was stalled.
He said further that the court advised for the matter to be settled out of court will be considered if parties in the case are willing.
On his part, Bonaventure Ugwu, Counsel representing the first Defendant, declined an interview, saying that the matter will play out itself in Court.
Recall that the Claimants in the suit are seeking compensation for all the years of pollution in Ogoni land without adequate clean up of the environment while praying that Ogoni land returns to its original fertile State.
