Keyamo Petitions Ogbeh over Alleged Illegal Occupation of FG’s Facility by Minister

Lagos-lawyer, Festus Keyamo, has petitioned the Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, over illegal occupation of a federal government facility in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The petition , which was written on behalf of Blacksprings Nigeria Limited signed by Omonade O Matthew, dated December 12 and addressed to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh alleged that Lokpobiri had forcefully taken over the Borokiri Coastal Fishery Terminal after it was officially leased to Blacksprings for two years by the Federal Ministry of Agriculture.

According to the petition, Blacksprings Nigeria Limited following an agreement with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture, was assigned military officers that were posted to the terminal and have been able to curb all illegal bunkering activities going on in the area.

It, however, noted that on December 5, 2016, armed soldiers allegedly acting on the orders of Lokpobiri invaded the facility and ordered military officers on positing and Blacksprings workers to vacate the facility.

The petitioner, who noted that the facility had been under siege of armed soldiers, described Lokpobiri’ s action as “ absolutely illegal, unlawful, uncouth, uncivilised, unconstitutional, incomprehensible and untenable in a sane and civilised society.”

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the petitioner therefore asked Ogbeh to call Lokpobiri to order and also direct the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 6th Division, Nigeria Army, Bori Camp, to order his men to leave the premises.

The petition read in part: “Sir ordinarily our client would have proceeded to Court to institute action for trespass but considers it necessary to draw your attention to the actions of Senator Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agriculture which our clients believes you are totally oblivious of. In the light of the above, we call on you to use your good office to call Lokpobiri, Minister of State for Agriculture and his boy, Ayakpo Wilson Dauyegha to order as their action which was allegedly taken on behalf of your ministry constitutes trespass.”

“Sir we demand that you direct the GOC of 6th Division, Nigeria Army Bori Camp, Port Harcourt to hand over possession of Borokiri Coastal Fishery Terminal, Port Harcourt, Rivers State which has been under siege of Military officers from 6th Division, Nigerian Army, Bori Camp, Port Harcourt since December 5, 2016 back to our client”

In another petition to the GOC 6 Division, Major General Kasimu Abdulkarim titled: ‘A case of Unjust Invasion, Trespass and Military Siege at the Borokiri Coastal Fishery Terminal, Port Harcourt by military officers from 6th Division, Nigeria Army, Bori Camp, Port Harcourt, Rivers State,’ it described the actions of the military officers that invaded the facility as unlawful.

The petitioner therefore asked for the intervention of the GOC to order the soldiers brought by Lokpobiri to handover possession of the facility back to Blacksprings Nigeria Limited and direct previous military officers guarding the facility to return to work.