By Mick Oseji, Asaba

The protracted land dispute between Umuezei (Ezenei) Quarters of Asaba and Okwe Community has taken a fresh turn, with Umuezei moving to enforce a 1989 judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria affirming its claim to ownership of the vast expanse of land currently occupied by Okwe.

The development followed a petition dated September 14, 2026, addressed to Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, by the legal representatives of Umuezei Quarters, led by Chief Chike Onyemenam, SAN.

The petition, which was received at the Office of the Governor at Government House, Asaba, on September 15, 2026, was also copied to the Asagba of Asaba, His Royal Majesty, Prof. Epiphany Azinge.

Titled “Re: Okwe Settlement, Asaba – Unlawful Application for Grant of Autonomy and Government Recognition of a Traditional Ruler for Okwe – Notice of a Subsisting Judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the petition urges the state government to take cognisance of the apex court’s decision before considering any application for the recognition of Okwe as an autonomous town or the installation of a traditional ruler for the community.

Supreme Court Ruling at the Centre of Dispute

According to the petition, the families that constitute present-day Okwe Community were originally customary farming tenants of Umuezei Quarters of Asaba.

The petitioners maintained that their ancestors granted the families access to parcels of swamp land, locally known as Ani-olu, for agricultural purposes, in return for an annual tribute of 400 tubers of yam.

They also alleged that the farming tenants were permitted to occupy portions of dry land, known as Ani-ocha, for residential purposes while cultivating the adjoining swamp lands.

The legal representatives stated that the dispute escalated when the tenants allegedly challenged their landlords’ title to the land and failed to fulfil their traditional obligations.

Consequently, the Umuezei family instituted Suit No. A/13/76 against members of Okwe Settlement at the Asaba High Court, securing a judgment that was subsequently affirmed by the Court of Appeal in Appeal No. FCA/B/103/81 and the Supreme Court of Nigeria in Appeal No. SC.70/1986.

The petition cited the Supreme Court’s unanimous judgment delivered on February 10, 1989, and reported in 1989 1 NWLR (Part 99), page 514, as the legal foundation for its demand that the state government respect the court’s decision.

According to the petitioners, the apex court affirmed that members of Okwe Settlement were customary farming tenants of Umuezei Quarters and held that their challenge to their landlords’ title, coupled with their alleged failure to pay the agreed tribute of 400 tubers of yam, subsequently valued at N400, had resulted in forfeiture.

The petition further stated that the Supreme Court ordered members of Okwe Settlement to vacate the entire Ani-olu and Ani-ocha lands, comprising what is now Okwe Town and Settlement, within 12 months of the judgment.

However, the court reportedly provided an alternative: the tenants could make peace with their landlords and the acknowledged owners of the land, the Umuezei people of Asaba.

A Certified True Copy of the Supreme Court judgment was reportedly attached to the petition submitted to the governor.

Umuezei Alleges Defiance of Court Judgment

The Umuezei family accused members of Okwe Settlement of continuing to occupy the disputed land despite the Supreme Court’s decision.

The petitioners alleged that, rather than comply with the judgment, the occupants had continued to sell substantial portions of the land, institute fresh legal actions against the adjudged owners and pursue government recognition for the settlement.

They expressed particular concern over an alleged application to the Delta State Government seeking recognition of Okwe as a separate town, the recognition of one of its members as a traditional ruler and the issuance of a Staff of Office to the proposed monarch.

According to the petition, such recognition would amount to establishing a traditional institution on land which, the petitioners insist, the Supreme Court had already adjudged to belong to Umuezei Quarters.

The family argued that granting autonomy or recognising a traditional ruler for Okwe without first addressing the implications of the subsisting judgment could undermine respect for the rule of law and further complicate the longstanding dispute.

Appeal to Oborevwori

Expressing confidence in Governor Oborevwori’s commitment to the rule of law, the Umuezei family said it believed the governor might not have been fully briefed on the history of the dispute and the implications of the Supreme Court judgment.

The petitioners argued that the status of the occupants as customary farming tenants, as described in the judgment they cited, raised fundamental questions about the propriety of recognising the settlement as an autonomous town with its own traditional ruler.

They urged the governor to thoroughly investigate the claims, examine the attached court judgment and ensure that any decision concerning Okwe’s proposed autonomy or traditional institution takes the judicial pronouncement into account.

The family further appealed to the governor to intervene and halt any process that could conflict with the judgment, should the allegations in the petition be established.

According to the petitioners, failure to address the matter could heighten tensions between the two communities and potentially trigger a breakdown of law and order within the Asaba capital territory.

The petition places the Delta State Government at the centre of a dispute that now extends beyond competing claims to land ownership to questions concerning traditional authority, community recognition and compliance with a longstanding Supreme Court judgment.

As the matter unfolds, attention will be on the state government’s response to the petition and whether the issues raised will be investigated before any decision is taken on Okwe’s reported bid for autonomy and recognition of a traditional ruler.