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From Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
A power outage at the Yenagoa Division of the Federal High Court on Wednesday stalled a suit filed by the Ibenenanowei of Ekpetiama Kingdom, King Bubaraye Dakolo Agada IV, challenging Shell’s divestment from onshore assets without addressing years of environmental degradation in the area.
Unlike previous sittings, when the case came up for hearing, counsel to all parties were present. However, the presiding judge, Justice Ayo Emmanuel, told the parties he could not proceed because the courtroom was too hot due to the outage.
Though court officials provided a standing fan beside the judge, he was seen sweating as the court’s air-conditioning system could not be powered.
Attempts by counsel to the plaintiff, Chucks Uguru, to persuade the judge to hear the case because the preliminary objections had lingered for a year were rebuffed. The judge subsequently adjourned the case to June 17 for hearing.
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Uguru, in an interview, regretted several delays orchestrated by the defendants and said the plaintiff’s legal team remained resolute.
“Today, all parties are in court to argue the motion on preliminary objection. Regrettably, the learned trial judge, on account of the environment of the Court, said he would not sit to take the matter because there is no light. He has the prerogative to decide when to take an action and when not to take an action. But it is our humble view that this is one case that requires a bit of urgency because of the nature of the case. Let me say that this is a public interest litigation, that the international community is very much interested.”
Also speaking, Dr Prince Edegbuo, Resource Justice Manager at Social Action, regretted the development, saying it underscored the dearth of social amenities and urging the government to address the challenge.
“‘I think this is an example of the non-availability of social amenities in Nigeria. This is a typical example of how things affect people. This is a case we have been on since May 2025; there have been several adjournments because other parties are not present in court. Unfortunately, today, since everybody was in court, the court was not suitable for the Judge to sit. But this does not deter us. We hope that the next time we come to court, the judge will have a comfortable place to handle the case. ‘’
Dakolo said his subjects and the community remained committed to getting justice despite the delays.
