How Thugs Chased Judge, Lawyers Out Of Court Over Case To Stop Prince Emiko As Olu’s Designate

More facts have emerged on how unruly crowd believed to be thugs invaded the hollow chamber of the Warri High Court 4, Delta State and disrupted the court proceedings of a lawsuit filed by one of the Itsekiri princes challenging Prince Emiko’s selection as possible 21th Olu of Warri.

BIGPENNGR had reported that presiding judge of the court, Hon Justice V O Agboje narrowly escaped being lynched by the invaders who were chanting war song in protest of the lawsuit brought by Mr. Bernard Emiko, junior brother to the immediate past Olu of Warri, His Royal Majesty Ogiame Ikenwoli.

Dependable sources revealed that proceedings in the suit on the Itsekiri kingship tussle were abruptly disrupted when the thugs invaded the Warri high court premises around 10.15 a.m.

The lawyer to the complainant in the case, Chief E.L. Akpofure (SAN), was addressing the court when the leader of the thugs (name withheld) rushed in and started shouting on top of his lungs and dancing.

The Judge, and other lawyers including a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Chief Efe Akpofure, were said to have narrowly escaped the hoodlums’ attacks.

It was learnt the pandemonium was fuelled with the presence of women and youths, who were armed with green leaves and singing war songs round the hallow premises of the court where the case was instituted.

Akpofure and his team of lawyers were trapped inside the court for some hours as they could not come out for fear of being harmed by thugs, who were threatening that if they found Prince Oyowoli or any of his sponsors they would be dead.

“The issue for debate was the method of services to the defendants, but this could not go on because the youths took over the place and stopped legal proceedings,” a source at the scene said.

It was gathered that late Wednesday night, a text message was circulated with this content: “The abominable has happened, Oyowoli and his sponsors have taken the Itsekiri to court over the kingship issue.

‘And they secretly took Thursday morning as court day without the notice of the defendants so that the court will secretly grant them motion ex-parte.

Itsekiri is by this calling on all sons and daughters to mobilise fully to Court 4, close to A Division of the Nigerian Police in Warri, wearing black. Time 9 a.m.”

After the court disruption, the crowd marched to see Chief Johnson Ateseleghue, the Iyatsere of Warri Kingdom.

The Iyatsere and factional leader of the Itsekiri Youth Council, Vincent Esimaje, addressed the crowd.

A chief was quoted as saying “that they should all wait and see the court that will dare entertain this particular matter in Itsekiri land. “Igba-sa-la” shrine will kill all the people supporting Oyowili’s course.

“Three days ago I was in a meeting where Chief Ayiri Emami was reminded about the three demands the Omoba Tsola Emiko made on him, 1-To do a letter of apology to the Itsekiri people, 2-To produce the missing crown and 3-To provide the whereabouts of Princes Oyowoli and Omasholi.

“He stressed further that the lawyer handling Oyowoli’s suit has his own case hanging over his neck which he is yet to resolve. He then asked the protesting youths not to relent.”

Esimaje allegedly asked the Iyatsere to notify all the chiefs and sponsors of Oyowoli never to dare come to the burial of his father, Ogiame Ikenwoli and the coronation ceremonies of Omoba Tsola Emiko in Ode-Itsekiri, the ancestral home of the Itsekiri people.

It was gathered that Prince Bernard Emiko, Olu Ikenwoli’s younger brother, in an affidavit supporting the suit, said that he is the Olori-Ebi (head) of Ogiame Erejuwa II (18th Olu) Ruling House.

He prayed the court to nullify the nomination and adoption of Prince Tsola Emiko as Olu-designate.

The appellant urged the court to declare the processes that threw up the Omoba as null and void, and prayed the court to stop him from performing the Ideniken and other rites that are mandatory towards his assumption of the stool of Olu of Warri.

The affidavit pleaded “an order of perpetual injunction restraining Pa Akoma Dudun (the parallel Olare-Ebi (oldest member) of the Ginuwa I Ruling House from presenting Prince Tsola Emiko to Chief Ayiri Emami (Ologbotsere of Warri).”

The affidavit also seeks to restrain members of the Olu Advisory Council, from accepting the candidacy of Prince Tsola as Omoba.

It also sought the an order setting aside and nullifying the 5th April 2021presentation by Prince Johnson Amatserunleghe, the Iyatsere, of Prince Tsola to the Itsekiri nation as Olu-designate in Ode-Itsekiri, the ancestral home of the Itsekiri people.

Prince Bernard confirmed this and the invasion of the court in a text message response to our reporter’s inquiry on Thursday evening, according to report in Nation.

The newspaper, also reported that Sir Amorighoye Sunny Mene, secretary of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought has denounced the protesters’ action as ‘barbaric and uncouth’, stressing, “I don’t support the invasion of court by anybody.”

Mene said the ILOT was disposed towards an amicable settlement of the issues surrounding the stool, and appealed to all parties to conduct themselves in responsible and peaceful manner.