….Calls On RSG To Intervene
Elikpokwuodu Community in Rukpokwu Clan, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area has issued a strong warning to Rumuagholu people to desist from encroaching on their land known as Okporo Rukpokwu and Ohia Mini Mba.
The chiefs of Elikpokwuodu gave the warning at a Press briefing held during the weekend.
According to the chiefs, Rumuagholu people had gone beyond Omuodudoro Ali Welibo the Supreme court awarded to them in a 1961judgement and invaded Okporo Rukpokwu and Ohia Mini Mba which were Elikpokwuodu land.
One of the chiefs, Nmekele Ordu said the Federal Supreme Court of Nigeria in FSC 131/1960 on Thursday the 18th of May 1961 upheld the judgement of Savage J. of the High Court of Port Harcourt Judicial Division granting Rumuagholu a declaration of title to a land known as Omuodudoro-Ali-Welibo verged pink on their dispute survey plan tendered and marked exhibit 1 in court.
“Today, rather than restricting themselves to the land awarded them by the court, the Rumuagholu Community have invaded Okporo Rukpokwu land and Ohia Mini Mba Swamp north of Omuodudoro-Ali-Welibo,” Chief Ordu said.
Chief Nmekele Ordu who is a Ph.D holder and an Educationist par excellence said Rumuagholu people were invading their land in error because the Supreme Court/Savage judgment had made it categorically clear that Omuodudoro-Ali-Welibo was bounded in the north by Okporo Rukpokwu land, and that Okporo Rukpokwu land itself was bounded in the north by a swamp known as Ohia-Mini-Mba.
Chief Ordu thus appealed that the land known as Omuodudoro-Ali-Welibo should be clearly marked out for Rumuagholu Community in order to stop them from making further incursions into Elikpokwuodu land.
He noted that by the survey plan Rumuagholu people tendered at the court, it showed that Elikpokwuodu Community is their boundary neighbor to the north, and wondered why they should now be encroaching upon Elikpokwuodu land and even claiming to have boundary with Aluu in Ikwerre Local Government Area.
Chief Ordu wants the survey plan tendered by Rumuagholu community at the Supreme court to be made availabl in order to properly mark out the Rumuagholu land called Omuodudoro-Ali-Welibo south of the ancient Market Road, stressing that the remaining land north of the ancient market road should equally be marked out for them.
In his own speech, the Acting Head Chief Elikpokwuodu Community, Chief Achinike Nmecha JP who concurred with Chief Ordu, said Elikpokwuodu people were law-abiding citizens that’s why they had not confronted Rumuagholu community despite their provocation and invasion of their land.
He appealed to the Rivers State Government to intervene in the matter and do the needful, while asking for a revisit and proper interpretation of the Supreme Court judgment of 1961.
The Elikpokwuodu Acting Head Chief said they had written to the state government and the Inspectot-General of Police on this matter, hinting that the IG had directed that the judgment be taken to court for proper interpretation.
And that is exactly what Chief Nmekele Ordu said they will do if Rumuagholu people continue to trespass on Elikpokwuodu land.
“We shall resort to the court for proper interpretation of the Savage/Supreme Court Judgment if they continue the act of trespass because we are law-abiding citizens,” Chief Ordu said, stressing that Rumuagholu at the south of Elikpokwuodu cannot be on their west where they were linked with Akpor communities as members of constituency two, adding that if it happens, it means that constituency two is no longer an entity as Rumuagholu was in constituency one.
