[size=18pt]Ogoni on the path of enforcing full independence[/size]

Monday, 30 July 2012 16:38

Sets up Native Court System






The Ogoni Kingdom, Rivers State, is no longer waiting for further political intervention to enforce its autonomy within the Nigerian nation-state. The kingdom under no defined political authority, last weekend, was said to have established native court system to administer justice to the local population within its entity.
The native court system, it was gathered, is a three tier system which comprises village, district and appeal courts. The court system will function as an independent arm of the Ogoni Central Indigenous Authority (OCIA).

It was indicated that the court is to improve the effective administration of justice for nearly 96 per cent of the Ogoni population who allegedly suffer in silence without access to the justice at the grassroots.

President of the Ogoni mass organisation, Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Dr. Goodluck Diigbo, was reported to have announced the establishment of the Ogoni Customary Court Council.

Diigbo, said to have, while addressing the newly elected Ogoni lawmakers, said that the council is to review and produce comprehensive customary court laws indigenous to Ogoni. He observed that laws meant for the administration of justice in Ogoni Land should be such that can protect all indigenous rights.

The screening and appointment of officers of the council will be completed in the first week of August 2012, it was gathered.

Diigbo said that the Ogoni authority will collaborate with the national government and relevant international institutions and NGOs to standardize the work of the council.

It could however, not be ascertained if the desire for autonomy was the idea behind the advocacy for the ''unbundling'' of Nigeria by Senator Magnus Abe, representing Ogoni Land in the National Assembly.


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