Apara Rebisi Stool: Court Wants All Parties To Be Served

A Port Harcourt High
Court, Rivers State presided over by Justice T.S. Orji has directed that the claimant should serve all the parties involved in the Eze Apara Rebisi chieftaincy stool in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of the state, with the motion on notice pending before the court before the next adjourned date.
Justice Orji gave the directive yesterday while reacting to the response of the claimant counsel, Ocholi James (SAN) and I.I Evans (Barr) on the two pending motions brought before the court.
According to her, the directive is to ensure that all the parties involved in the matter respond to the motions, adding that the Tuesday sitting was the first time the court was hearing the matter since it was assigned to the court on 31st January, 2014.
The claimant in the matter, His Royal Highness, Eze Emeka Anyabelem, is among other things challenging the purported installation of Prince Victor Woluchem and Barr Uche Isaiah Elikwu as Eze Epara Rebisi respectively in Port Harcourt City council of the state. The claimant through his counsels is praying the court to restrain the defendants from parading themselves as the paramount ruler of the local government as well as to restrain the state government from recognizing any of the defendants as the paramount ruler pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.
All the defence counsels in the matter, O.C.J Okocha (SAN) for 1 2nd , Chima Boms for 3,4,56 and while  Chikere represented the 8th defendant in court.
Addressing journalists, after the court sitting, the lead counsel to the claimant, James Ocholi (SAN), expressed happiness over the turnout of the court proceedings, adding that the appearance of all the defence counsels in the court was a sign of progress in the matter.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) stated that the pendency of the motion before the court was the reason why the trial  Judge, Justice T.S. Orji gave the directive that all the parties be served before the next date of the court sitting.
According to him, one of the motions is seeking for an interlocutory injunction to restrain the defendants from parading themselves as the paramount ruler of the area as well as the state government from according recognition to any of the defendants till the determination of the matter

Commissioner of Police, Kaduna State, Alhaji Umar Shehu (left), with the Deputy, Alhaji Murtala Mani, addressing a news conference on security in Kaduna State, recently.
Photo: NAN