Ijaw leaders have approach a Federal High Court sitting in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital to seek for an order of injunction to stop the Attorney General of the Federation and the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Petroleum Resources and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, from giving out and approving licences in respect of the Marginal oil fields in Ijawland, pending the determination of the suit.
In Suit No. FHC/YEN/CS/81/2020, the plaintiffs, High Chief Brown Agu (Opu Agu VIII), Mrs Rosemary Aken John-Oduone, President of Ijaw Women Connect Worldwide, and Mr Femowei Braye, said they are instituting the suit on behalf of the Ijaw Ethnic Nationality as a laudable and commendable bold step to confront the anomalies and the constitutional fraud depriving the Niger Delta from controlling their resources like Zamfara State that has a Gold reserve.
They are also seeking for an order of injunction restraining the defendants from “issuing out licenses for marginal oil fields in Ijaw land unless and until a comprehensive baseline environmental evaluation, survey/assessment of all oil and gas fields awarded, renewed or divested since 1956 is done by independent international experts and published in accordance with international best practices.”
The Ijaw leaders are also asking the court to restrain the defendants(FG) from further advertising or receiving bids in respect of Marginal Fields in Ijawland pending the hearing and determination of the suit.
According to the Ijaw leaders, “the suit is therefore to warm all persons and corporate organizations not to apply for or obtain any licence for Marginal Fields as same is subject of litigation.”
The presiding judge of the Federal High Court II, Justice A O. Awogboro, adjourned the case to February 19, 2021 for hearing.
Vanguard