A court has fixed April 1 for pretrial conference in Nsumide/Ada Oru land dispute concerning ownership of land on Tam David West Boulevard.
The presiding judge, of Port-Harcourt High Court, Honourable Justice S.H. Aprioku, also asked counsels to file within fourteen days amended statements of defence and serve on the claimants.
The pretrial conference was earlier fixed for 3 March but did not hold because it turned out not all counsels had successfully served on the claimants amended statements of defence.
On Wednesday the counsel for third set of defendants told the court that the survey plan for the disputed land was ready as requested by the judge.
The judge had told counsels to get the survey plan ready for the land in dispute.
On Wednesday the judge said he had not lost control of proceedings of the case, referring to interference by police who were investigating the case.
The judge said some persons had petitioned the police over the case, saying that police came from Abuja to the court over the case. He also said that they even said they wanted to talk to the judge over the case.
The presiding judge said that he did not know who petitioned the police over the case and also gave court orders to the police which he said the police read as judgements.
The counsel to the claimants, Barrister Collins Dike, as well as other counsels were in court for proceedings.
The counsel to second set of defendants, Barrister Patrice Ukposi, told the court that he served his amended statement of defence on the claimants.
The disputed land is on Tam David West Boulevard, a stretch of road from airport roundabout to the Obiri Ikwerre Interchange.
Previously, the court joined more parties in the suit and had ordered claimants to amend the originating processes to include those joined.
Speaking at the time, the counsel to the claimants said: “After joining several parties as defendants, the court ordered, in line with the law, that I should amend the originating processes to reflect the new parties joined and the court gave us a period of fourteen days to file and serve on the defendants. We filled and we served.”
He also said at the time that the pretrial conference would help to streamline the case before trial.
