A Customary Court sitting in Abudu Town has adjoined the case between Comrade Omorodion Oregbe, Friday Obazee and Game Osifo( Plaintiffs) and Francis Ehigie, Richard Uhunmwangho Idehen and Sunny Omoregbe (Defendants) to 21st November, 2023 for the adoption of written addresses after which a date will be announced for delivery of judgement.
Speaking to Journalists at the Court premises, the first Plaintiff, Comrade Omorodion Oregbe, expressed absolute confidence in the judiciary to do justice to the matter considering documentary evidence tendered before the court by his lawyer to further prove his case.
“I have confidence that this court will do justice to this matter because we tendered documentary evidence before the court. They filed a motion against me that am not an indigene of Ovbiuwa Village in Orhionmwon Local Government Area.
“I have approached this honourable court to properly interprete the content of the judgement of a case of village ownership tussle between Ovbiuwa village and Ohieze village that went from the Palace of the Oba of Benin to the High Court, Appeal Court and to the Supreme Court which never made any order of forfeiture but only modified the judgement of the Court of Appeal where N20,000 cost was awarded to Ohieze Village stating further that it was a case of landlord and tenant and not an issue of trespassing. Then the case was that Ohieze people who were settlers in our community (Ovbiuwa) took us to Court claiming that they are the owners of our land.
“The Appealate court delivered a judgement against them with a cost of N20,000 before it went to the Supreme Court.”
The Defendants (Francis Ehigie, Richard Uhunmwangho Idehen and Sunny Omoregbe ) in this case now got hold of this said judgement and used a twisted interpretation to illegally attach themselves to a property (burrow pit) owned by the beneficiary of that judgement and a son (Friday Obazee ) of the second defendant (Ehigiamusoe Obazee) in that case.
The Defendants in this case cannot in any way be linked to the ancestors of Ovbiuwa. The said burrow pit was established by Friday Obazee in 2010 while the trio made their illegal entry by 2017. Where have they being all this while?
Narrating the issue that led him to the court, Comrade Oregbe, who said that “the people of Ovbiuwa and Ovbiogie Ibibi villages were driven from their lands by an epidemic that broke out there over 500 years ago. The people of Ovbiogie Ibibi did not return after the epidemic, the land was deserted as they went into extinction. However, two sons survived; that is Ehigiamusoe Obazee who became the Odionwere and Mr. Egbenoma.
“Then Friday Obazee now established a burrow pit in conjunction with Ovbiuwa Village. Things went on smoothly until this three persons came out from nowhere, formed themselves into a group and took over the administration of the village basing their rulership on the judgement of the Supreme Court on the aforementioned case between Ovbiuwa Village and Ohieze which was twisted by a Benin High Court against us.
“But it should be noted that they ought to have approached the High Court in Abudu because the case is within their jurisdiction. Now, they are saying that I am not an indigene of Ovbiuwa Village. Well I have provided sufficient evidence linking me to the ancestors of Ovbiuwa village, the graves of my parents, their farms and their house, even my international passport and all my documents carries Ovbiuwa as my place of origin.
“Anyway, in any community there must be a sellout. For selfish reasons, my younger brother, Lugard Omoregie, whom we made the Secretary of Ovbiuwa was their last witness.”
Ovbiuwa Village indigenes cry out over invasion
