Oil terminal: Bonny landlords say no settlement with Shell
A media report alleging that the Supreme Court had brokered a peaceful settlement between a multinational oil giant, Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) and Bonny crude oil exporting terminal landlords over Shell’s alleged fraudulent acquisition of certificate of occupancy for the terminal in Bonny Rivers state, had been declared false by concerned elders, chiefs and citizens of Jumbo Major House of Grand Bonny kingdom.
The concerned chiefs, Amasenibo (Wari Senibo) Sinclair Sobere Jumbo, Wari Alabo Adolphus William Jumbo, Benjamin T. Jumbo and Dagogo A. Jumbo, in a statement described the media report as misleading. They, however, accused Shell of “desperation to divest us of our interest on and in our land and foment trouble within the Jumbo Major House”.
They stated that, the Supreme Court on June 9, 2014, dismissed a suit filed by Shell, alleging “SPDC refusal and neglect to make any genuine attempt to settle the dispute and the matter was not settled”
“Contrary to the misinformation in public domain, SPDC has technically vacated the oil terminal land and most of the landlords as well as the Bonny Kingdom are gearing up to advertise the terminal land and the facilities therein for lease to another prospector at fair and commercial rates as the judgment of the trial court and Court of Appeal remain unassailed and unassailable”, they further stated.
In addition they submitted “our attention has been drawn to a misleading media campaign giving the impression that the Supreme Court of Nigeria brokered a truce between the Bonny Kingdom and SPDC on the dispute over the ownership of the Bonny Oil Terminal. As co-landlords on the land accommodating the Bonny Oil Terminal, it is incumbent on us to this rebuttal and set the records straight as follows: L.E-Nwosu (SAN) filed an action on behalf Bonny kingdom, the Jumbo Major House and the Brown House against SPDC over the despicable attempt by the SPDC to steal our land.
“That the High Court of Rivers state presided over by Justice M.O. Opara gave judgment in our favour, ordering SPDC to vacate the land among other orders. The SPDC appealed the judgment to the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division and the Appeal was struck out. SPDC further appealed to the Supreme Court.
“That the Supreme Court after looking at the nature of the appeal, advised parties to settle out of Court and Wogu Boms, Esq the attorney-general of Rivers State was appointed to mediate and report to the Supreme Court”.
Meanwhile, the elders have said that all the parties on record and the lead council in this matter had never signed any settlement deal and never authorized anybody to sign anything on their behalf.
Saby Elemba, Port Harcourt