The Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, has dismissed two separate appeals arising from the protracted chieftaincy dispute over the Okehi Clan traditional stool in Rivers State.
The appeals, numbered CA/PH/202/2021 and CA/PH/240/2021, were dismissed on grounds of lack of merit and failure to diligently prosecute the appeal, respectively.
In Appeal No. CA/PH/202/2021, Chief Kingsley Nwaejie challenged a ruling delivered by the Rivers State High Court in March 2021 in Suit No. OHC/69/2019.
The High Court, presided over by Justice I. Wodi, had dismissed his preliminary objection, holding that the suit instituted by HRH Eze Christopher Nwakamma and Chief Charles Nwaejie against HRM Eze E.M.B. Opurum and others did not constitute an abuse of court process.
Delivering the lead judgment on December 6, 2024, Justice E.O. Williams-Dawodu held that the appeal lacked merit and consequently dismissed it.
The appellate court found that the appellant had failed to establish that the parties and subject matter in the other suits he relied upon were identical to those in the pending suit, a requirement necessary to sustain his argument that the action amounted to an abuse of court process.
Justices A.M. Talba and Hannatu Azumi Laja Balogun, who sat on the panel alongside Justice Williams-Dawodu, concurred with the lead judgment.
In his concurring judgment, Justice Talba agreed that the trial judge was right to dismiss the preliminary objection, while Justice Laja Balogun also affirmed that the appeal failed and should be dismissed, with the consequential orders contained in the lead judgment.
In a related development, the Court of Appeal also dismissed Appeal No. CA/PH/240/2021, filed by HRM Eze E.M.B. Opurum against HRH Eze Christopher Nwakanma and others, for want of diligent prosecution.
The proceedings in the second appeal took place on March 29, 2023, before a panel comprising Justices S.T. Hussein, F.A. Ojo and A. Waziri.
According to the court record, although the appellant filed his notice of appeal on March 30, 2021, and transmitted the record of appeal on July 26, 2021, he failed to take the necessary steps to prosecute the matter thereafter.
Consequently, counsel to the respondents, E.O. Kalu, filed a motion on December 7, 2022, seeking the dismissal of the appeal over the appellant’s failure to file his brief of argument.
Counsel to the appellant, Osita C. Ohabuenyi, had earlier filed a counter-affidavit on December 23, 2022, but subsequently applied to withdraw it and did not oppose the motion seeking dismissal of the appeal. The court granted the application to withdraw the affidavit.

In its ruling, delivered by Justice S.T. Hussein, the court relied on Order 19 Rule 10(1) of the Court of Appeal Rules, which provides a 45-day period for an appellant to file a brief of argument following the transmission of the record of appeal.

The court held that the appellant’s failure to comply with the requirement warranted the dismissal of the appeal.

With the dismissal of both appeals, the decision of the Rivers State High Court in Suit No. OHC/69/2019 remains undisturbed by the first appeal, allowing the underlying suit to proceed, while the second appeal was terminated on procedural grounds.

Certified True Copies of the two decisions were issued by the Court of Appeal

The traditional ruler, leaders and stakeholders of Ndiebor Ishieke Autonomous Community in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State have demanded compensation for crops and farmlands allegedly destroyed during borrow-pit excavation for the ongoing Calabar–Ebonyi–Benue–Nas-rawa–Abuja Superhighway project.
The community also called on the Federal Government and the project’s contractors to ensure that excavated borrow pits were reclaimed, further encroachment on unmarked farmlands stopped, and adequate consultations held with affected landowners before additional excavation activities.
The stakeholders made the demands yesterday during a meeting with representatives of the construction company and project liaison officers at Alibaruhu Ishieke in the community, where they expressed concern that the destruction of yam, cassava, rice, millet, beniseed and other crops was threatening the livelihoods of residents who depend largely on farming for survival.
Speaking on behalf of the community, the traditional ruler of Ndiebor Ishieke Autonomous Community, Eze Hyacinth Awoke Nwiboko, said the community welcomed the federal road project but objected to the manner in which borrow pits were being opened on farmlands without what the residents considered adequate consultation and compensation.

The Permanent Secretary of the Rivers State Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Honour Sirawoo, has pledged the ministry’s support for the State Committee on Export Promotion (SCEP) to enhance public awareness of local products, expand export opportunities and stimulate economic growth.
Sirawoo gave the assurance on Monday, October 12, 2026, when a delegation of SCEP and the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC) paid a courtesy visit to the ministry in Port Harcourt to seek collaboration, particularly in media engagement and public enlightenment.
Welcoming the delegation, the Permanent Secretary commended the committee for recognising its communication challenges and seeking practical solutions, assuring it of the ministry’s readiness to support initiatives that would contribute to the development of Rivers State.
“We are available to partner with you. And we also have a governor and government that are willing to partner with any organisation that will add value to our state,” he said.
Sirawoo emphasised the importance of strategic communication in advancing development initiatives, noting that effective publicity would help showcase Rivers State’s economic potential and attract wider markets for its locally produced goods.
He identified tourism, natural resources, human capacity and local products as areas with significant potential to drive economic growth if adequately promoted.
According to him, the ministry is committed to supporting programmes that will benefit the state and its residents, stressing that the success of the committee would also contribute to the overall development of Rivers State.
“We believe that if you achieve it, it will not just be good for you, but it will be good for all of us, particularly us that are going to help you drive it,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary also disclosed that the ministry had nominated a desk officer to facilitate communication and ensure a sustained working relationship with the committee.
Speaking on behalf of the NEPC Regional Coordinator, Mrs Ngozi Ibe, Mrs Ikuroye Chinelo Olga explained that the council was responsible for promoting non-oil exports, a mandate that aligns with the objectives of SCEP.
She said collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications would enable the committee to reach a wider audience, increase public awareness of its activities and promote export opportunities across Rivers State.
“For us to reach out to the masses, for us to be visible, we need to work and collaborate with the Ministry of Information and Communication,” she said, expressing the delegation’s desire for a lasting partnership with the ministry.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the Oil Palm Growers Association, Mr Erasmus Chukunda, said SCEP was established in Port Harcourt in 2016 but had faced difficulties in effectively communicating its achievements to the public.
He explained that the committee was established to identify products produced in Rivers State, support local producers in preparing their goods for export and work with NEPC to connect them with broader domestic and international markets.
Chukunda stressed the need to extend export promotion initiatives to rural communities, noting that such efforts would help residents recognise the commercial value of their agricultural produce and other locally available resources.
According to him, improving access to export opportunities could strengthen rural economies, stimulate industrial activities and create employment opportunities for residents.
“If that is achieved, it will increase the rural economy. It will also discourage rural-urban migration because at that point, there will be a lot of industrial activities going on in the rural areas,” he said.
He called on the Rivers State Government to provide greater support for the committee to implement its programmes and improve the visibility of its activities across the state.
Chukunda expressed optimism that stronger collaboration with the Ministry of Information and Communications would help showcase the state’s economic potential, connect local producers with export markets and encourage entrepreneurship.
The engagement is expected to strengthen cooperation among the ministry, SCEP and NEPC in promoting locally produced goods, increasing awareness of non-oil export opportunities and supporting employment generation and sustainable economic development in Rivers State.