A three-man panel of Appeal Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Thursday, affirmed the judgement of Degema High Court that declared Chief Igonikon George  as the rightful person to ascend to the chieftaincy stool, Polodabo.
The court ruled that Alabo Hon Datonye Igbanibo Igonikon George, Idaere-fama, is the rightful occupant of the throne and head of the family,  Buguma Town, in Asari Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State.
Chief Charlesye Charles had approached the Appeal Court to challenge the judgement of the Degema High Court division delivered by Justice S.O.Benson and appealed against the verdict on behalf of himself and other plaintiff in the matter, asking the court to upturn the judgement.
But in a unanimous judgment delivered by Justice Paul O Elechi on behalf of the three-man Appeal Court panel in Port Harcourt, affirmed the judgement of the Degema High Court, saying that the court was right in their decision and awarded the sum of two hundred thousand naira in favour of the defendant.
A member of Chief Igonikon George, Chief, D A George, who spoke to newsmen outside the courtroom, said the judgement had proven the judiciary as the hope of the common man.
He thanked the judges for doing justice on the matter, adding that the judgement would put to an end the long years of legal tussle by the George family.

As part of measures to strengthen security architecture, stakeholders, security experts have ended a one-day security summit in Okrika Local Government Area, Rivers State 
The one-day security summit/sensitisation held recently at the council headquarters, was organised by the council authorities in conjunction with the Okrika Divisional Police, Central Community Development Committees. 
Delivering his inaugural speech, Okrika Divisional Police Officer (DPO),CSP Okoro Ikechukwu, said the sensitisation on peace building was apt considering security challenges facing the country. 
CSP Okoro said the aim of the sensitisation was geared towards orientating the teeming youths on how to engage themselves and build a better society. 
He explained that idleness among the youths had been a major contributing factor in crime and other social vices, hence the need to engage in meaningful skills. 
“The essence of the sensitisation is to enlighten the youths to engage in skill acquisition or go to school as it will help build a better society. 
“The police is doing it in partnership with the Council authorities, Community Development Committees (CDCs) and other critical stakeholders aimed at giving them necessary orientation capable of guiding them to be useful”, he said.
CSP Okoro said idleness had led some into cultism, criminality and other vices inimical to the development of any society which according to him, the orientation is seeking to address. 
CSP Okoro said further to achieving this important objective, the Division shall be visiting all communities in Okrika to enable the message go down. 
He said no engagement in education or skill is a waste which will help build more prosperous society. 
Earlier, Okrika Central Community Development Committee Chairman, Hon SekiboTamuso  commended the effort of the DPO to let the youths know the danger of idleness. 
Hon. Sekibo said, building the way forward for the sustenance of existing peace was crucial.
He said to achiev this feat, all hands must be on desk. 
Describing Okrika as one of the adjudged peaceful local government areas in Rivers State, he advised youths to do away with cultism.

In a bid to encourage rural dwellers to participate in the enrollment of the ongoing National Identity Number (NIN), handled by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the Executive Chairman of Degema Local Government Area, Hon. Michael John Williams, has facilitated the movement of personnel of the commission to Bakana Community.
The LGA NIN Centre, which was initially only situated at the Council headquarters in Degema, is expected to capture residents of Bakana and its neighbouring Oguruama communities.
The chairman, who spoke through his Chief of Staff, Ipalibo Yellowe in Bakana, enjoined residents of the area, who were yet to enrol in the scheme, to take advantage of the registration exercise and get captured.
Hon. Williams noted that the decentralization of the NIN registration to parts of the LGA, which had commenced in Bakana, would be extended to other Oceania communities soon.
It would be recalled that the Federal Government had recently approved the extension of the deadline for the enrollment of the National Identity Number (NIN)-Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) data verification to October 31, 2021.
The decision to extend the deadline was made following a request by stakeholders to accommodate registration in hard-to-reach remote areas, in order to address low enrollments, as evidenced by enrollment statistics.
As at today, there are over 5,500 enrollment systems within and outside the country with a total of 59.8 million NIN enrollments.

By: Wokoma Emmanuel