Ogbe-Ozoma Refutes Legal Dispute Allegations Over Cubana Group Land

Members of the Ogbe-Ozoma Community in Delta State have dismissed as “laughable and misleading” a viral video circulating online in which certain individuals, claiming to be indigenes of Issele-Asagba, accused the community of unlawfully selling their land to Cubana Group.

In a statement issued on Thursday by the community’s lawyer, Ifeanyi Ejiofor (KSC), the Ogbe-Ozoma Community maintained that the land currently under development by Cubana Group is legally owned, validly transferred, and free from any encumbrance, lien, or adverse claim under Nigerian land laws.

The community described attempts to link the property to unrelated litigation or an alleged consent judgment as misleading, defamatory, and calculated to create confusion.

 It urged members of the public to disregard what it termed orchestrated statements driven by ulterior motives.

According to the statement, the land in question is not the subject of any pending litigation or consent judgment.

Clarification on Viral Video

“A few days ago, a viral video surfaced in which certain individuals, who purportedly claim to be indigenes of Issele-Asagba, accused our client, the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, of unlawfully selling their land to Cubana Group.

“In the course of the evident misrepresentations and misleading rhetoric that characterized the speeches in the said video, one Barrister Larry Oliseh, who now purports to act for the Issele-Asagba Community, asserted that the land in question is the subject of a consent judgment.

“This assertion, like the other statements made therein, warrants careful scrutiny in light of the facts and the applicable law,” the statement read.

Ejiofor noted that, given the speed at which unverified information spreads on social media, it had become necessary to issue a formal clarification.

He  stated that his firm has acted as solicitors to the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, Okpanam Quarters, for over five years and is fully conversant with the history and facts surrounding the land. He said it was imperative to correct false and misleading narratives being circulated among the public.

The statement reads;

For the avoidance of doubt, we state as follows:

1. Ownership and Title:

The land upon which Cubana Group is currently undertaking development in Asaba, Delta State, forms part of the ancestral inheritance of the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, Okpanam Quarters, held by them from time immemorial. The said land was validly, lawfully, and legitimately sold by the community to Cubana Group, and title was duly transferred in accordance with all applicable laws.

2. No History of Litigation:

The said land has never been the subject of any dispute, litigation, or court proceedings before any court in Delta State or elsewhere.

3. Public Development:

It is to be observed that the flag-off of development activities by Cubana Group was conducted openly and was widely covered by members of the press, underscoring the transparency of the transaction and the ongoing development.

4. No Pending Action and Statutory Compliance:

There was no pending legal action before, during, or after the acquisition of the land by Cubana Group. Indeed, upon fulfilling all statutory requirements under the Land Use Act, Cubana Group was duly granted a Certificate of Occupancy in respect of the said land.

5. Distinction from Pending Suit:

The land purportedly referred to in the alleged consent judgment by counsel to Issele Azagba relates to an entirely different parcel of land, which remains the subject of litigation in Suit No. HCI/23/2021 pending before Onicha Ukpo High court, Issele-Uku Judicial Division,. We are counsel in that matter and can unequivocally confirm that it concerns a separate and distinct property.

6. Circumstances Surrounding the Alleged Consent Judgment:

It is particularly instructive that the same counsel now publicly asserting the existence of a consent judgment in favour of Issele Azagba, with respect to a property whose particulars and location are known to him to be entirely different in size and description, had previously acted for our client, the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, as defence counsel in the same matter wherein that purported consent judgment was procured.

During the pendency of Suit No. HCI/5/2012, the said counsel ostensibly  connived with the then counsel for Issele Azagba to fabricate and file purported terms of settlement which were never brought to the attention of, nor authorized by, our client- the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, whom he represented at the time. It is our client’s position that certain signatures of persons unknown to the community, and in some instances not even parties to the suit, were forged, and that the document was surreptitiously filed and pronounced upon with unusual speed on the same morning it was filed in court as a consent judgment, without our client’s knowledge, consent, or participation in the proceedings of that day.

7. Steps Taken to Challenge the Judgment:

Upon discovery of the circumstances under which the said consent judgment was obtained, on land entirely different from the one presently sold to Cubana Group, our client promptly initiated appropriate legal processes to have the judgment set aside on grounds of fraud and fundamental procedural irregularities.

8. Subsequent Conduct:

It is equally noteworthy that upon being debriefed by the Ogbe-Ozoma Community, the same counsel, Bar. Larry Olise, proceeded almost immediately to institute further civil action on behalf of Issele Azagba seeking to enforce the said disputed consent judgment against our client. Our client has since taken decisive steps to report this conduct, considered unprofessional and unbecoming of a legal practitioner, to the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee (LPDC) for appropriate investigation and disciplinary action.

9. Conclusion:

In summary, the land presently being developed by Cubana Group is free from any encumbrance, lien, or adverse claim. The attempt to associate it with unrelated litigation or a disputed consent judgment is misleading, defamatory, and calculated to cause confusion.

Members of the public are therefore advised to disregard such statements, which appear to be orchestrated in furtherance of ulterior motives.

The facts remain clear, verifiable, and legally defensible”