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23,870 cases pending in Rivers courts , net #525 million in one year – CJ

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The Rivers State Chief judge, justice Simeon Chibuzor Amadi says the state judiciary has a total of 23,870 cases pending in various courts in the state .

This figure include all cases pending in magistrates, High courts , customary and customary court of Appeal in the state.

Justice Amadi stated this while presiding over a special court session held to mark the opening ceremony of the comencement of the 2024/2025 new legal year held at the auditorium of the High court in port harcourt, last Thursday.

The state chief judge while giving the breakdown of the performances of judiciary in the last year ended revealed that the stastics of the cases brought before the courts from October 30,2023 to 30th September 2024 is 31,886, while cases filed stood at 14,791 and cases disposed in the period under review is 22,725.

He further disclosed that the state judiciary and the customary courts generated a total of #525,322,478,83 as revenue in the last judiciary year under review.

He described the special court session as an annual rituals of the judiciary marked to herald the beginning of a new legal year , stressing that it afford the judiciary and all stakeholders the needed opportunity to take stocks of the activities of the judiciary in the past one year so as to improve with a view to strengthening the justice administration.

The number one state judiciary officer averred that the judiciary had under taken a lots of capital infrastructure in the year ended to ensure the comfortablility of the workers and judicial officers and announced that additional high courts will be constructed at Okehi and Degema in other to ease the challenges of numerous cases coming from such jurisdictions.

Justice Amadi disclosed that the state judiciary has a total of 51 judges,57 magistrates 30 Chairmen of customary courts and 60 presiding members, adding that the state judiciary has 12 judicial Divisions,37 magisterial Districts and 30 customary courts.

” We lost seven judiciary staff, pH NBA lost 16, Okehi branch 1, Bori branch 2,and Ahoada branch 2.

Creation on a judicial Division is based on cases filed from such area and we recommend for approval of such and not for politically based” he stated.

The state chief judge used the opportunity to thank the state governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara for the support given to the judiciary in the state , noting that the success recorded by the judiciary in the state was attributed to the huge support from the state governor.

He also appreciated the efforts of the security agencies and the media for their various cooperation and support given and urged them to sustain such in this legal year .

In there various speeches at the event,the state Attorney general and Commissioner of justice , Dagogo Isreal _Ibroma,SAN,the leader of the body of Senior Advocates of Nigeria ,Rivers State, OCJ Okocha SAN, and the Chairman of NBA , Port Harcourt branch , Mrs Eke Cordelia commended the achievements recorded by the state judiciary and urged that more measures be put in place to enhance the speed dispensation of justice.

Our correspondent reports that the special court session was presided over by a church service.

 

Akujobi Amadi

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Rivers

Okrika Administrator Seeks To Connect Okujagu Ama To National Grid … Donates 30 Life Jackets To Okujagu Ama Boat Drivers

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The Okrika Local Government Council has disclosed plans to link Okujagu-Ama Community to the national grid.
The council also donated 30 life jackets to the Okujagu-Ama Boat Drivers Union.
Sole Administrator of the  Council, Engr Tamunobipiboye Thompson Isodiki, disclosed this during an unscheduled visit to the community.
In a press release signed by the council’s Press Secretary, Omoni Ayotamunu, Isodiki also said the council will link the community to the national grid  within the next  few weeks.
According to him, Engr Isodiki, who spoke at the project site where the tower is being mounted, said the council is desirous of ensuring that the community is connected to the national grid.
In his words, “on assumption of office, I saw that the project was embarked upon by the past administration and because of its vital importance to the people, I decided to give it a priority attention.”
The administrator, who made few observations on the construction of the gigantic tower to connect power from Port Harcourt, advised the contractor to make sure care was taken to do a quality work.
“This project, when completed, will bring development to the Okujagu-Ama Community and its neighboring communities”, he stated.
On sabotage by some criminal elements in the community, he said “evil will not over shadow light”.
He urged the people to rise up and defeat such evil-minded people for the even development of the community.
Sir Isodiki impressed on the contractor handling the project to make sure it was completed and delivered on the  scheduled time, saying “I have given all the necessary support to complete the project”.
Speaking, the Project Engineer of the Okujagu-Ama Electricity Project, Engr. Femi Bipilaka, assured the Administrator that the project would be delivered on schedule and a quality job would be done.
Meanwhile, a total of 30 Life Jackets have been donated to the Okujagu-Ama Boat Drivers Association by the Okrika Local Government Council.
Presenting the Life Jackets, the administrator of the Council said the Jackets are donated to ensure the safety of passengers passing through the route.
Isodiki said with time more life jackets would be made available to the community.
Receiving the life jackets jointly, the Community Development Committee (CDC) Chairman of Okujagu-Ama and Ojimba-Ama, Mr. Blessed Elijah, and the Vice Chairman of the Boat Drivers Association, Mr. Lassor Rogers, thanked the administrator for his kind donation and pledged to safeguard the life jackets.
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Woji DPO: ‘A Police Officer With Impeccable Character’

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The people of Woji Community in Obio/ Akpor Local Government Area said CSP Peace Ibekwe, the Divisional Police Officer?(DPO) of Woji Police Station has consistently maintained her professionalism and unwavering commitment to the safety and peace in the Community and Obio/Akpor Local Government Area at large.

A section of Concerned Woji people said this in reaction to what they tagged a biased and unfounded report believe to be sponsored by some detractors and enemies of peace , when they spoke with newsmen in Port Harcourt, yesterday.

 

Despite circulating claims of misconduct at Woji Police Station, they people said she maintains a very high standard as a Public Servant.

 

“It is a cooked story, her office is open to everybody. They have given her award as outstanding DPO”, they said

 

They pointed out that she was focused on keeping Woji crime?free, stating that the community is now calm.

 

 

According to them, the Woji DPO has a clean slate in relation to her core profession.

“She is a straightforward somebody. Her tenure as DPO is characterized by impartial policing rather than personal gain”, they said.

 

 

They noted that during tensions in Woji Market in April 2025, CSP Ibekwe played a constructive role in restoring order.

 

They recalled how she worked collaboratively with His Majesty , the Eze oha Evo III of Evo Kingdom Nyerisi Eli Woji Eze Woji XII Chairman Supreme Forum of Ikwerre Government Recognized Traditional Rulers King Leslie N Eke (JP) Eze Gbakagbaka and his Council of Chiefs, the Woji Youth Council, to de-escalate conflicts and reaffirm law enforcement’s peacekeeping role .

 

 

“The calls for transfer that followed from some residents reflect a community desire for clarity, not confirmed wrongdoing. CSP Ibekwe has encouraged any concerns to be escalated to higher authorities for fair investigation”, they said.

 

 

They however, vehemently exonerated the DPO from all manners of shady deals, and added that is transparent and open in handling official complaints.

 

While residents have voiced fears and rumors, CSP Ibekwe’s track record reflects professionalism, community engagement, and recognition from peers and leaders.

The allegations remain unverified and baseless and added that the people are confidence with her conduct in the area.

This publication gathered that the sponsors of the fake report resorted to such clueless move when their attempt to solicit for illegal assistance at some quarters hit the bricks

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Macobarb CEO Cries Out, Says No Indigenous Contractor Can Win Case Against NLNG Or Oil Majors in Nigerian Courts …As Justice Nwogu Throws Out Macobarb’s N5.74bn Claim

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Justice Chinwendu Nwogu of the Port Harcourt High Court has thrown out the N5.74bn claim filed by Macobarb, an indigenous contractor, against the NLNG for breach of contract and accumulated losses.

 

Shedrack Ogboru, the CEO of Macobarb International Limited, who filed the claims since 2022 as one of the claimants, in suit number HC/2013/CS/2022, has however cried out, saying the fate of indigenous contractors in Nigerian courts is doomed.

 

Ogboru told newsmen outside the court after the shock ruling that the judge abandoned the crux of the matter and the terms of the contract to deny Macobarb the claims.

 

Showing anger and frustration, Ogboru said he felt he presented tight case to the court to show that the NLNG breached terms of payments and that the breaches caused slowdown of the execution of the contract, but regretted that the judge did not agree with any of his arguments.

 

Saying many indigenous contractors have died as a result of injustices in the hands of the oil majors, he said only abroad do communities and local contractors get some form of justice, never in Nigeria.

 

Justice Nwogu had ruled that the NLNG did not breach its contract with the contractor and that the gas company did not unlawfully deny Macobarb payments.

 

The judge said work executed by Macobarb did not amount to ‘work done’ as stated in the contract terms except the NLNG approved it as so, and that the provision mandating the person recognized as ‘contract holder’ nominated by the NLNG as the one to authorize any dealings with the contractor did not mean that he alone could act for the NLNG as relied upon by the contractor. The judge ruled that the ‘contract holder’ was a mere day to day overseer of the project, and that any official mandated by the NLNG can terminate the contract.

 

The judge also ruled that the contract did not provide for ‘standdown payment’ and that the NLNG did not cause delays in the execution of the contract as claimed by the contractor.

 

The judge also ruled that the payment failures by the NLNG that the contractor claimed affected the contract did not amount to an offence or breach of the contract but that the contractor misused the loan he obtained from banks.

 

In the end, the judge ruled in favour of almost all the grounds submitted by the NLNG and none of the grounds by the contractor, and even tongue-lashed the contractor in most of his rulings.

 

Reacting, Ogboru said: “My case is presented 100 per cent, the NLNG’s case is zero; but surprisingly, the NLNG has rather been upheld, and Macobarb denied. I pity indigenous contractors in Nigerian courts. We are doomed.”

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