Court Restrains Lulu-Briggs From Parading As Regent Of Abonnema

Justice Nwogu of the Rivers State High Court in Port Harcourt Monday restrained High Chief (Dr) O. B. Lulu-Briggs from parading himself as Regent of Abonnema Community.

Also restrained from taking further actions on the matter were the United Founding Fathers of Abonnema group led by a former minister, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas and the Ekine Sekiapu Society of Abonnema, who were respondents in the suit.

The suit was filed by the Abonnema Council of Chiefs after some chiefs operating under the aegis of the United Founding Fathers of Abonnema led by Alabo Graham-Douglas, announced the suspension of the Amanyanabo of Abonnema and Chairman of Abonnema Council of Chiefs, HM king Sir (Barr) Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel over an alleged witchcraft allegation and appointed Lulu-Briggs as Regent in his stead.

However, the Abonnema Council of Chiefs discountenanced the action of the group which it described as unknown in Abonnema and approached the court to restrain the respondents.

The Abonnema council of chiefs contended that the purported allegations of witchcraft were false, non existent, fabricated and mischievous .

They noted that there was no such allegations of witchcraft before the Ekine Sekiapu Society of Abonnema or the Abonnema Council of Chiefs . It was only generated to embarrass the Amanyanabo for not agreeing to their request of equality of chiefs in Abonnema.

In his ruling, the trial judge, Justice Nwogu, granted all the reliefs sought by the claimants (Abonnema Council of Chiefs) and restrained the respondents from taking further actions in the matter.