THE REPUBLIC vs. ATTORNEY-GENERAL, NENE OSROAGBO DJANGMAH II AND LOWER KPONE ROYAL HOUSE Ex PARTE: NENE TEI DJANGMAH IX

OFOE, J.A. The record of appeal in this case discloses the very sorry state in which the State of Ningo finds itself. The traditional authorities have gotten themselves embroiled in a prolonged chieftaincy dispute running through the adjudicatory ladder, apparently, without any end in sight. Not even the death after death of some of the parties to this litigation is ameliorating the deleterious situation attending this traditionally embarrassing and socio-economically fruitless battle. From the record of appeal it is not easy to decipher who the real “warriors” in this protracted litigation are. Are they the unseen hands of some recalcitrant indigenes of the land of Ningo, the lawyers, ignorance and illiteracy or sheer mischief? Respect for tradition and traditional authorities will be waning if such retrogressive merry go round court rooms and other adjudicating bodies does not cease. There are two royal houses vying for the stool of Ningo: the Lower Adainya and the Lower ...