Rivers royal family drags oil company to court over land dispute

A land dispute has led members of the Agwolo-Ochoeke Royal Family of the Ogbele community in Rivers State’s Ahoada East Local Government Area to sue Niger Delta Petroleum Resources PLC—now known as Aradel Holdings PLC—before the state High Court.

Aradel Holdings PLC is being ordered by the Agwolo-Ochoeke Royal Families to grant them access to their land for a survey and to provide appropriate compensation.

They assert that they have not received any rental payments from the corporation since it started using their land in 2001.

The defendant, Aradel Holdings PLC, contends that it has an MOU with the greater Ogbele community and has paid for economic crops.

At a hearing on Tuesday, the claimants’ counsel, Mike Ozekhome, SAN, urged the court to permit the families access to examine the disputed land, which the defense resisted.

Aradel Holdings PLC is required to grant the Agwolo-Ochoeke Royal Families access to the land for a survey, with both parties present, according to the ruling of Presiding Judge Justice Sylvester Popnen.

Within 14 days, the judge ordered that the survey be finished.

Speaking to the media outside the courtroom, Ozekhome characterised the decision as just and advantageous for all sides.

He clarified that anyone assuming control of someone else’s land in Nigeria is required by the constitution to grant access to ascertain the person’s interest in order to calculate compensation.

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