Adibe Emenyonu in Benin City
An Edo State High Court presided over by Justice Geraldine Imadegbelo has delivered a consent judgement in favour of the claimants in the case of Uyiekpen Ologbosere, Portcall lnternational Farms Ltd versus the Governor of Edo State and 20 others in Suit No. B/672/2023.
The trial judge in the consent judgement set aside all the Certificates of Occupancy the governor issued in favour of all persons on any portion of the land while he upheld the Certificate of Occupancy issued to Uyiekpen Ologbosere and his company by the governor over the entire 200,309 hectares of land lying and situate at Obagie Nevbosa.
The judge also granted an order of perpetual injunction restraining the state government, its agents or any other person claiming through them or howsoever described from further trespassing on any portion of the 200,309 hectares more particularly marked and delineated in the survey plan No. SEA/ED/97 bordered pink and attached to the Certificate of Occupancy No. EDSR 14764, which land is lying and situate in Obagie-Nevbosa Village, Ikpoba Okha Local Government Area of Edo State.
By the consent judgement the court granted authority to the claimants to retrieve possession of the entire land and evict any person who strays into any portion of the land.
The court however did not award any financial damages to the claimants.
With this judgement, whoever goes into the said land or any portion thereof is in contempt of the judgement and stands the risk of going to prison.