“You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” John 8:32 (NKJV)
1) A look into the activities of the claimants of the non-existing 6 Houses of Ado Royal Family in Okrika attests to their falsehood, lawlessness, and disrespect to constituted authorities and institutions.
2) IN 1963, THE REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS OF A COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO OUTBREAKS OF VIOLENCE IN OKRIKA, OFFICIAL DOCUMENT, NO. 23, 1963; STATED AND RECOMMENDED THAT ONLY 5 HOUSES MAKE UP THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY, FROM WHICH THE AMANYANABO OF OKRIKA and Clan Head of Okrika Clan CAN BE SELECTED. THE COMMISSION WAS HEADED BY MR. R.J. GRAHAM.
3) THE SUPREME COURT OF NIGERIA, IN A LANDMARK JUDGEMENT DATED APRIL 9, 1973, IN SUIT NO. E/87/1963; SC. 615/1965; UPHELD the Report of the COMMISSION, Official Document No.23 of 1963.
THE SUPREME COURT and the Rivers State Government has not changed her Position that ADO ROYAL FAMILY is made up of Five (5) Houses CONTRARY TO THE CLAIMS OF Prof. Ogan and his cohorts.
Rather than respecting the SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT, Prof. OGAN and his cohorts have continued in their falsehood to claim that 6 houses make up ADO ROYAL FAMILY and have continued to hide under this non existing 6th houses to foment problems in Okrika.
4) IN Suit No. WHC/4/2002, CHARLES ADOKIYE DAGOGO IBULUBO, Prof. OGAN AND OTHERS, AS CLAIMANTS REPRESENTING THEMSELVES AND THE IBULUBO, FIBIKA, ABAM, IBANICHUKA, DOKUBE AND OGAN – SIX (6) WAR CANOE HOUSES OF THE ADO ROYAL FAMILIES IN OKRIKA, CONTRARY TO THE FIVE (5) HOUSES – ABAM, DOKUBE, FIBIKA, IBANICHUKA, AND OGAN RECOGNIZED BY THE STATE GOVT AND THE SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT, IN THE SAID SUIT (WHICH PROF. SOTONYE FYNEFACE OGAN WAS ALSO A CLAIMANT) SUED KING (DR.) ALFRED S. ABAM, THE RIVERS STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL AND COMMISSIONER FOR JUSTICE AS FIRST SET OF DEFENDANTS AND SIR CHIEF DR. ANTHONY SAMUEL FIBIKA OPU-ADO; ELDER SUNDAY J. BAMSON AND OTHERS REPRESENTING THE 5 ADO ROYAL HOUSES OF OKRIKA, AS RECOGNIZED BY THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT, AND THE SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT – EXCLUDING THE CLAIMANTS.
5) At the aforementioned Suit. No. WHC/4/2002 AT THE HIGH COURT OF RIVERS STATE, OKRIKA JUDICIAL DIVISION, THE CLAIMANTS PRAYED THE COURT TO RECOGNIZE THAT ADO ROYAL HOUSE IS MADE 0F 6 HOUSES AND CHARLES ADOKIYE DAGOGO IBULUBO IS THE AMANYANABO OF OKRIKA, ADO IX. THEIR PRAYERS WERE REFUSED, and not granted as HRM. King (Dr.) ALFRED S. ABAM, ADO IX, was confirmed as the authentic Amanyanabo of Okrika and clan Head of Okrika Clan. On his demise the Rivers State Government accorded him a befitting state burial on the 16th December, 2023.
6) That all the previously subsisting and pending appeals in APPEAL No. CA/PH/157/M/2019, instituted and filed by the said six (6) Ado Royal war canoe houses where withdrawn by the appeallant themselves and incidentally struck out and deleted by their Lord Justices of Appeal on 12/01/2021 with a cost of ten thousand naira (N10,000) each awarded in favour of the first Respondent in both motions for withdrawal without any contradictions.
7) THE ABOVE CASE LASTED FOR ABOUT 19 YEARS, FROM 2001 TO 2021, DURING WHICH THERE WAS AN UNPRECENDENTED CRISIS THAT CLAIMED SEVERAL LIVES AND PROPERTIES IN OKRIKA.
8) IT MAY BE RECALLED THAT AS THE FIRST SET OF DEFENDANTS IN THE SUIT, THE POSITION OF THE GOVERNMENT, WHICH WAS SUBMITTED BEFORE THE COURT WAS AS FOLLOWS:
” For the purpose of succession of amanyanabo of okrika stool, only five (5) war canoe houses within the ado royal families are recognized; which fact has been settled and judicially noticed and is also contained in the summary of the report and recommendation of the commission of inquiry into outbreaks of violence at Okrika which is Exhibit ‘U’, gazetted as official document No. 23 of 1963 and thus judicially noticed.”
THE COURT, in delivering it’s JUDGEMENT in the matter holds that “as it stands with the existence of Exhibit ‘U’; official document No. 23 of 1963 and Exhibit T11″; ” decision of the Supreme Court in appeal No. SC/615/1965 upholding the position that only five (5) Houses in ADO ROYAL FAMILY in Okrika can produce the Amanyanabo of Okrika….
DELIVERING THE JUDGMENT, Judgment NO. 3, stated; In conclusion, “I hold as follows: That Exhibit “A,” the purported constitution of Ado royal family is a recipe for disturbances in Okrika, being in contravention of Exhibit ‘U and official document 23 of 1963 and is hereby declared null and void and of no effect.
IT MEANS THAT THE COURT ALSO DECLARED the claim of six (6) houses as the major cause of unrest, crises and instability in Okrika.
WHY are they still parading the non-existing six (6) houses?
9) IN THE face of this truth, With great shock as soon as His Royal Majesty HRM. King (Dr.) Alfred S. Abam ADO IX Amanyanabo of Okrika joined his ancestors, and his successor HRM. (Dr.) Sotonye M.D George Dokube, ADO X, was installed as the Amanyanabo of Okrika, the claimants of the non-existing six (6) Houses agenda started again : Will they ever be tired of falsehood?
10.) CHIEF THOMPSON IBULUBO, CHIEF PROF. SOTONYE F. OGAN AND OTHERS WENT TO THE HIGH COURT OF RIVERS STATE IN SUIT NO. WHC/8/CS/2022 AS CLAIMANTS CHALLENGING THE INSTALLATION OF HRM. (Dr.) SOTONYE M.D. GEORGE DOKUBE ADO X.
11) IN THEIR STATEMENT OF CLAIMS, PARAGRAPH 2. THEY SAID ‘CLAIMANTS BRING THIS ACTION FOR THEMSELVES AND AS REPRESENTATIVES OF THE SIX (6) WAR CANOE HOUSES OF ADO ROYAL FAMILY OF OKRIKA.
12) Also in SUIT NO. WHC/145/CS/2022 BETWEEN DR. GODKNOWS OKUBE TAM GEORGE, MR OTELEMABIA GEORGE AND OTHERS as CLAIMANTS AND DR. SOTONYE GEORGE, IFUBARABOYE GEORGE AND OTHERS, AS 1ST SET OF DEFENDANTS.
THEIR STATEMENT OF CLAIMS, PARAGRAPH 13, ”CLAIMED THAT the 1st defendant is an ordinary member of Dokube Royal House. He has co-opted some dissident members of the house to declare him as king of Okrika; this is a prerogative that is exclusively reserved for the entire ADO ROYAL family, which is comprised of THE 6 ROYAL HOUSES TO WIT ABAM ROYAL HOUSE, FIBIKA ROYAL HOUSE, OGAN ROYAL HOUSE, DOKUBE ROYAL HOUSE, IBANICHUKA ROYAL HOUSE AND IBULUBO ROYAL HOUSE”.
However the case was dismissed in favour of the 1ST Set of defendants with cost of ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND NAIRA (N100,000.00) against the claimants.
13.) IN 2023, IN A NEWSPAPER ADVERT PUBLISHED IN THE TIDE NEWSPAPER OF FRIDAY, DEC. 15, 2023, BY CHIEF T. J. A. IBULUBO; WHO SIGNED AS CHAIRMAN, ADO ROYAL FAMILY COUNCIL OF CHIEFS; AND ELDER JAMES GILBERT IBANICHUKA WHO SIGNED AS CHAIRMAN ADO ROYAL FAMILY; ALL CLAIMANTS IN SUIT NO. WHC/4/2002, THEY ALSO CLINGED ONTO THEIR SELF-CREATED 6 HOUSES of Ado Royal family.
THE ADVERT READS IN PART AS FOLLOWS:
”PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT:
THE ATTENTION OF THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY OF OKRIKA COMPOSED OF 6 WAR CANOE HOUSES OF IBULUBO, IBANICHUKA, ABAM, FIBIKA, OGAN DOKUBE WAR CANOE HOUSE HAS BEEN DRAWN TO …
A PAID ANOUNCEMENT BY THE OKRIKA LGA CHAIRMAN IN THE MEDIA INSINUATING THAT THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY OF OKRIKA IS INVOLVED IN THE BURIAL OF DR. ALFRED SEMINATARI ABAM AS THE AMANYANABO OF OKRIKA……
1. THAT THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY IS NOT INVOLVED IN THE BURIAL OR FUNERAL RITE OF DR ALFRED ABAM AS AMANYANABO OF OKRIKA AND DOES NOT INTEND TO UNDERTAKE ANY SUCH BURIAL OR INTEND TO BE DRAGGED INTO IT IN ANY MANNER WHATSOEVER”.
WHAT A LAWLESS AND IMPUNITIVE CONFRONTATION AGAINST THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT AND THE JUDICIAL INSTITUTION.
14) HOWEVER, A REFUTTAL WAS MADE BY THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY IN THE BEACON NEWSPAPER OF WED. JAN. 17 – 24, 2024; WHEREIN THEY WERE CORRECTED THAT THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY IS COMPRISED OF FIVE (5) LEGITIMATE AND RECOGNIZED HOUSES AS PRONOUNCED BY THE SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT AND RECOGNIZED AND GAZETTED BY THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT.
“ IS THIS NOT A TOTAL DISRESPECT AND VIOLATION OF THE SUPREME COURT JUDGEMENT IN SUIT NO. SC. 615/1965; AND THE OFFICIAL DOCUMENT NO. 23 OF 1963.”
15) They should know that the official document No. 23 of 1963 also confirmed the existence of the 5 Houses of ADO ROYAL FAMILY namely Abam, Dokube, Fibika, Ibanichuka and Ogan. AND THESE HOUSES CANNOT EXIST IN ANY OTHER KINGDOM, OR UNDER ANY OTHER KING EXCEPT THE ADO ROYAL FAMILY, AND UNDER THE AMANYANABO OF OKRIKA.
That by the said official Document No. 23 of 1963, especially Section 4 of the “Government Announcement” that Government, will recognize without delay, the most suitable Chief to be presented as Amanyanabo from the ADO HOUSE.
Section 5 of the official Document No. 23 of 1963. State “The Amanyabo of Okrika will also be recognized as the Clan head of Okrika Clan”.
NOTE: With reference to Judgment in Suit NO. WHC/4/2002, HRM King (Dr) Alfred Semenitari Abam JP (ADO X) Amanyanabo of Okrika, and Clan Head of Okrika Clan who has join his ancestors was not the course of the crisis in Okrika. King Alfred Abam is known as a Unifier, Human and Community developer, Great historian, Peaceful and a Leader of people. Dr Alfred Abam ADO IX was undoubtedly, one of the Beacons in the Okrika community in the way he inspire and encourage others.
TIME TO CALL THEM TO ORDER
We CALL ON THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT AND SECURITY AGENCIES, (the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Services), TO CALL the claimants of the non existing six (6) Houses of ADO Royal Family in Okrika TO ORDER BEFORE THEY SUCCEED IN PLUNGING OKRIKA INTO ANOTHER ROUND OF DISTURBANCES. THEY SHOULD BE MADE TO RESPECT AND OBEY COURT JUDGMENTS AND CONSTITUTED AUTHORITIES AS NO INDIVIDUAL or Group of persons SHOULD demonstrate lawlessness with impunity.
WE Pray THE RIVERS STATE GOVERNMENT TO SET UP MACHINERIES or a system TO ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO CAUSE CRISES in their communities DO NOT GO unpunished, as this will stop impunity and lawlessness and bring orderliness and development in our communities, a stitch in time saves nine.
Signed:
Pastor Job I. Amangofike
Chairman Ibanichuka – Ado Royal House
Of Okrika Town (Kirike)