Koton Karfe, Lokoja, Ajaokuta Part Of Igala Kingdom, Court Declares
In what could be termed as landmark judgment, High Court sitting Lokoja on Tuesday ruled that Koton Karfe, Lokoja and Ajaokuta are part of Igalal land and will henceforth be under the domain of Attah of Igala, His Royal Majesty, Dr. Michael Idakwo Ameh Oboni II.
The case upon which the judgement was delivered was filed in 2017 at the Lokoja High Court between Attah Igala v Attorney General of the Federation as the sole defendant.
According to NigerianPost, the case which was filed in the name of Attah Igala sought the order of the High Court to declare the area around Niger river up to Koton Karfe as a terrioty under the control of the Attah Igala.
Why The Judgment Was Delivered In Favour Of Attah
The case filed through originating summons required only affidavit evidence and not oral evidence.
The deponent of the affidavit had Idakwo Oboni, and to prove his claim, Attah traveled to Lokoja to depodse to the affidavit himself.
The document presented before the court relied on the evidence gotten from the National Archive in Kaduna.
Main document upon which the judgment was delivered are an agreement between Samuel Ajayi Crowther and the former Attah of Igala land which showed that Attah gave out land to Crowther to build a Church in Lokoja, the present capital of Kogi State.
Another document also showed an agreement between the Queen of England and former Attah of Igala land over Lokoja and Ajaokuta.
After considering the mass of evidence before it, the Lokoja High Court returned Lokoja, Koton Karfe and Ajaokuta as part of Igala Kingdom under the jurisdiction of the Attah Igala.
The Lokoja High Court also awarded a cost of N10 billion compensation which will be paid to Igala Kingdom for illegally operating on her soil for years without any royalties.
The Implication Of The Judgment
With the Lokoja High Court Judgment, Kogi State capital, Lokoja which is a
local government area in Kogi State, Koton Karfe local government and Ajaokuta local government areas will now be part of Igala Kingdom, making the local government of Kogi East 12 while the Ebira of Kogi Central will now four local government areas and the Okun of Kogi West will now have five local government areas.
Until the High Court ruling, Ajaokuta local government belongs to Kogi Central while Lokoja local government and Koton Karfe local government areas belong to Kogi West senatorial district.
The judgemsnt also means that the much treasured Ajaokuta steel complex which was formerly in the land of Ebira people of Kogi Central is now part of Igala kingdom.
Ebira, Okun People Query The Judgment
The people of Ebira land and Okun people have quried the Tuesday Lokoja High Court judgment which gave Ajaokuta, a local government arear in Kogi Central senatorial district and Lokoja local government and Koton Karfe local government areas in Kogi West.
The agrrieved people of Ebira and Okun took to social media to express their displeasure, calling the judgment a joke that will never come to reality.
However, no official statement has been released by Ebira Peoples Association (EPA) and Okun Development Association (ODA) on the next line of action if they will appeal the judgment of the Lokoja High Court.
The case upon which the judgement was delivered was filed in 2017 at the Lokoja High Court between Attah Igala v Attorney General of the Federation as the sole defendant.
According to NigerianPost, the case which was filed in the name of Attah Igala sought the order of the High Court to declare the area around Niger river up to Koton Karfe as a terrioty under the control of the Attah Igala.
Why The Judgment Was Delivered In Favour Of Attah
The case filed through originating summons required only affidavit evidence and not oral evidence.
The deponent of the affidavit had Idakwo Oboni, and to prove his claim, Attah traveled to Lokoja to depodse to the affidavit himself.
The document presented before the court relied on the evidence gotten from the National Archive in Kaduna.
Main document upon which the judgment was delivered are an agreement between Samuel Ajayi Crowther and the former Attah of Igala land which showed that Attah gave out land to Crowther to build a Church in Lokoja, the present capital of Kogi State.
Another document also showed an agreement between the Queen of England and former Attah of Igala land over Lokoja and Ajaokuta.
After considering the mass of evidence before it, the Lokoja High Court returned Lokoja, Koton Karfe and Ajaokuta as part of Igala Kingdom under the jurisdiction of the Attah Igala.
The Lokoja High Court also awarded a cost of N10 billion compensation which will be paid to Igala Kingdom for illegally operating on her soil for years without any royalties.
The Implication Of The Judgment
With the Lokoja High Court Judgment, Kogi State capital, Lokoja which is a
local government area in Kogi State, Koton Karfe local government and Ajaokuta local government areas will now be part of Igala Kingdom, making the local government of Kogi East 12 while the Ebira of Kogi Central will now four local government areas and the Okun of Kogi West will now have five local government areas.
Until the High Court ruling, Ajaokuta local government belongs to Kogi Central while Lokoja local government and Koton Karfe local government areas belong to Kogi West senatorial district.
The judgemsnt also means that the much treasured Ajaokuta steel complex which was formerly in the land of Ebira people of Kogi Central is now part of Igala kingdom.
Ebira, Okun People Query The Judgment
The people of Ebira land and Okun people have quried the Tuesday Lokoja High Court judgment which gave Ajaokuta, a local government arear in Kogi Central senatorial district and Lokoja local government and Koton Karfe local government areas in Kogi West.
The agrrieved people of Ebira and Okun took to social media to express their displeasure, calling the judgment a joke that will never come to reality.
However, no official statement has been released by Ebira Peoples Association (EPA) and Okun Development Association (ODA) on the next line of action if they will appeal the judgment of the Lokoja High Court.
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