From Ighomuaye Lucky, Benin
Counsel to Shalom Jare Ventures, Otamere Otamere, Esq, on Tuesday, accused the defendants in a land tussle of violating the court order restraining them from taking over his client’s landed property in Okhuoronmi community in Oredo, Edo State.
The plaintiff had been granted a court injunction restraining the defendants, John Edosomwan, Odion Dogo Igbinovia, Edoba Edosomwan and Okhuoronmi Community, Benin, from taking over the 9.7 hectares of land pending the resolution of the matter.
Speaking on behalf of the plaintiff, Otamere said it was unfortunate that the defendants were taking over the land despite the injunction.
‘Our client, Shalom Jare Ventures Limited, is in court with John Edosomwan, Odion Dogo Igbinovia, Edoba Edosomwan and the Okhuoronmi Community, Benin City over the said land,’ he said.
‘On the 27th of August 2018, an interim injunction was made against these defendants restraining them from entring the parcel of land along Aruogba in Benin City aptly described in a survey plan.
‘As we speak, these defendants have constituted thugs and army of bandits armed with AK-47 and have invaded that particular farm land which have thousands of palm trees and other crops worth over N100 million.
‘It is an unfortunate development. There is an interim order of court which is still valid and subsisting with the case coming up on June 17, 2021 at the High Court in Benin.
‘Our caveat is very clear on anybody who wants to deal with the defendants on the same land will be doing so at their own risk.
‘It is also important that the banditry act of these persons are checked or they will turn our society to a lawless one. What we will experience may be worse than what is happening in the North East.
‘The opening up of the area by the state government, which should be a source of development, is now being used to oppress the people by Okhuoronmi people.’
Peter Uwadae, counsel to the defendants, told reporters that his clients have not engaged in any wrongdoing.
‘My clients are not in disobedience of any court order there is a case in Court 1 filed simultaneously which involves a larger portion of the same land in dispute, so their case is subsumed into the case in Court 1 and my client got judgment on the 28th of April 2021,’ he stated.
‘So, it is the judgment that we got in Court 1 that Okhuoromi is enforcing and in their own case, there is no restraint order from the court.’
On possession of firearms, he said: ‘If the boys are armed, what they need to do is to petition the police for them to investigate it, is it the lawyer that will investigate that?’