The decision of the monarch of Tii-Ichen in Ichen-Kurmi chiefdom in Kurmi Local Government Council of Taraba state, Justice Emmanuel Dodo Audu, to install new district heads despite a court order restraining him from such acts, seemed not to have gone down well with some persons.
Despite a court order asking him to stay away from such an act, the monarch was today observed to have gone ahead to appoint and install seven district heads for the chiefdom.
The state high court sitting in Jalingo, the state capital, had on May 3, 2023, restrained the monarch, the state governor, Darius Ishaku, the Bureau for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, as well as the Attorney General of the state from creating new districts, appointment, and coronation of district heads in the chiefdom pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.
Piqued by the decision of the monarch, some persons from the chiefdom who bared their minds to our state correspondent, said the action is capable of igniting a crisis in the area.
Also not comfortable with the monarch’s actions, the counsel to the plaintiffs, Dr. Ibrahim Effiong, felt sad that the monarch who was the former President of the Customary Court of Appeal, has decided to “violate court order”.
He also expressed concern at the alleged role played by the outgoing governor of the state in ensuring that the monarch actualized his dreams.
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Wondering why the governor, who ought to jealousy work round the clock to insert the right peg in the right hole, is going about trampling on the law, Effiong vowed to thread extra legitimate paths to ensure justice for his clients.
Aligning their weights to that of Effiong, other persons from the area especially those in positions of authority who craved anonymity, urged the governor to wade in by calling the monarch to order.
The people, who could not fathom why the turbaning was done in the monarch’s house in Jalingo, the state capital, instead of Kurmi council, said palpable tensions, at the time of filing this report, have begun to envelop the chiefdom and the council at large.
In a swift reaction, the monarch, who stated he has not been served a court summons, said, “They only wanted to stop me from turbaning the district heads.”
“Yesterday in the evening they were busy in court trying to serve me the summons, after this programme” he added, “I will be receiving summons from the court.”
He urged the people of his chiefdom and the council at large to be law-abiding, stating that the appointment and instructions of the seven districts heads will no doubt usher in the much-desired peace to his chiefdom.
