SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: Court Never Declared Ownership in Favour of Issele-Azagba — False Narrative Exposed
The Counsel to the Ogbe-Ozoma Quarters of Okpanam Kingdom, Sir Ifeanyi Ejiofor, Esq., KSC, has stated that the case between Obi Emma Okocha & Ors. (for themselves and on behalf of the people of Ogbe-Ozoma Quarters of Okpanam Kingdom) and Pastor Emma Agba Arinze & Ors. (for themselves and on behalf of the people of Issele-Azagba Quarters) has not been determined by any court.
He cautioned against the misrepresentation of the court’s ruling in Suit No. AKU/118/2025, warning that some individuals were deliberately peddling a false narrative by portraying the decision as a judicial affirmation of ownership in their favour.
According to him, the Court did not pronounce on the merits of the substantive claims before it, as it neither received evidence nor evaluated the competing claims of ownership.
Ejiofor issued the clarification in a statement titled, “SETTING THE RECORD STRAIGHT: THE DELIBERATE MISREPRESENTATION OF THE COURT’S RULING IN SUIT NO. AKU/118/2025 BETWEEN CHIEF FELIX OKAFOR & ORS. VS PASTOR AGBA ARINZE & ORS.” released on Saturday.
He said it had become imperative, as an officer of the Court and in faithful discharge of his professional responsibility to both the administration of justice and the public, to correct what he described as the deliberate distortion, misrepresentation, and false narrative being circulated regarding the ruling recently delivered in Suit No. AKU/118/2025.
According to him, the integrity of judicial proceedings demands that court decisions be reported faithfully and not manipulated to score temporary propaganda victories or mislead unsuspecting members of the public.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the claim instituted in Suit No. AKU/118/2025 was commenced by Chief Felix Okafor and other members of the Ogbe-Ozoma Quarters of Okpanam Kingdom, who approached the Court seeking judicial intervention over the alleged violation of their proprietary interests in their extensive ancestral Osonkwe Communal Land, which they contend was unlawfully trespassed upon by Pastor Emma Agba Arinze and Ekwe-Ogidi Integrated Resources Limited.
“Upon being served with the originating processes, counsel representing Pastor Agba Arinze of Issele-Azagba raised a preliminary objection, contending that the facts, issues, and subject matter of the action were inextricably intertwined with those already pending before the High Court in Suit No. HCI/23/2021 between:
He explained that the earlier suit principally challenges the validity of what the plaintiffs contend is a fraudulently procured Consent Judgment, together with the far-reaching legal consequences arising from it.
Ejiofor further stated that after hearing comprehensive arguments from counsel on both sides, the Court held that the issues raised in Suit No. AKU/118/2025 could not be conveniently isolated from those already pending determination in Suit No. HCI/23/2021.
Consequently, he said the learned trial Judge declined jurisdiction to entertain a parallel adjudication of matters substantially connected with the pending proceedings before the High Court and directed that the issues be resolved within the framework of the earlier suit.
“It is of utmost importance to emphasise,” he said, “that the Court did not pronounce on the merits of the substantive claims before it. The Court neither received evidence nor evaluated the competing claims of ownership.
“More significantly, the Court made no declaration whatsoever regarding title, ownership, possessory rights, or proprietary interests over the land in dispute. Any suggestion to the contrary is patently false, grossly misleading, and constitutes a calculated misrepresentation of the clear and unambiguous ruling delivered by the Court.”he stated.
Ejiofor described it as regrettable that certain persons had allegedly chosen to misinform the people of Issele-Azagba by falsely portraying the ruling as though it amounted to a judicial determination affirming title or ownership in their favour.
“Such a narrative finds absolutely no support in the ruling of the Court and is capable only of creating unnecessary tension, fostering false expectations, and undermining public confidence in the administration of justice,” he said.
He maintained that the authentic and authoritative account of the proceedings is contained exclusively in the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the Court’s ruling.
“We respectfully urge all well-meaning members of the public, particularly the people of Issele-Azagba, to rely on the actual contents of the ruling rather than on embellished interpretations or self-serving commentaries designed to distort the judicial record,” he added.
Ejiofor further disclosed that Suit No. HCI/23/2021, pending before the High Court, Onicha-Ugbo, in which the allegedly fraudulently procured Consent Judgment in Suit No. HCI/5/2012 is being challenged, has since been reactivated, with the Court assigning a definite date for the commencement of trial on the merits.
“It is in that substantive proceeding, and not through public misinformation, that the competing rights and claims of the respective parties shall be judicially examined and determined upon credible evidence and settled principles of law,” he said.
He reaffirmed confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the Nigerian Judiciary and urged all parties to refrain from actions or publications capable of prejudicing the pending proceedings or misleading members of the public.
“The rule of law is never advanced by propaganda. It is vindicated only by truth, evidence, and the solemn pronouncements of competent courts of law,” he stated.
