Lokoja
The recent judgement of a Federal High Court, Lokoja which went in favour of Attah, Chief Michel Idakwo means that the Chiefs in Lokoja, Koton karfe and Ajaokuta will now begin to pay tribute to the Attah Igala, henceforth, according to legal interpretation.
Duaglobalnews recalls that the Attah Igala had in 2017, approached seeking his overlord over Ajaokuta, Lokoja and Kotonkarfe.
In his Judgement on the matter, Justice D. U. Okoro said that the issue was not that of land ownership but jurisdiction.
According to judge,the agreement between Ajayi Crowther and Queen of England in 1841 was not renewed and was returned to the Attah Igala, consequently, the Attah’s jurisdiction subsists with no agreement showing that the federal owns the area.
He,thereafter, awarded a compensation of N10billion against the Federal government for the use of the land all this while.
Since the judgement, residents, from various strata of the society in Lokoja, especially lawyers, have been speaking on the issue in various dimensions.
A legal practitioner,Barr. J.U. Usman, said the matter was however subject to appeal because of the subject matter could equally be settled amicably through compromise, adding that so many waters might have passed under the bridge since 1841.
Citing the judgement further, the lawyer noted that the procedure to take ownership from the Attah Igala, after the past agreements, was not followed by the federal government.
Giving more light to the court pronouncement on the issue,the lawyer explained that what the judgment looked at was not on who presently owned Kotonkarfe, Lokoja, Ajaokuta but ownership of the land.
Usman said the ownership of the land was given out in 1841 and the agreement terminated and returned to the Attah Igala, adding that that placed ownership still under the Attah Igala,hence the reason for the compensation.
