Kogi Court Sacks Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Reason Emerges

• The Kogi State High Court in Lokoja has ordered the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed Tijani Anaje, to stop parading himself as the traditional ruler of Ebiraland
• The Ohinoyi of Ebiraland is a first-class traditional ruler in Kogi state
• Yahaya Bello appointed the embattled Ohinoyi of Ebiraland at the twilight of his administration in Kogi state

The Kogi State High Court sitting in Lokoja, the state capital, has removed the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed Tijani Anaje, from the traditional stool.

Anaje is a first-class traditional ruler in Kogi state.

Legit.ng reported that Yahaya Bello appointed the embattled Ohinoyi of Ebira Land towards the end of his tenure as the governor of Kogi State in January 2024.

But Hon. Justice Salisu Umar of the State High Court 6 in Lokoja, the state capital, in his judgment on Monday, February 3, ordered that the defendant, the embattled monarch, stop parading himself as the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland., per Leadership newspaper.

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The full details of the court judgment were yet to be compiled as of the time of writing this report, but it was learnt that the case was filed in suit number HCO/05C/2024, by Dr. Barnabas Adeku Ojiah and two others against the Governor of Kogi State.

Why court removed the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland

Vanguard reported that Ojiah and others are challenging the legal standing of Anaje's appointment by the former governor. They alleged that there were irregularities in the emergence of the new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland.

The court judgment has therefore nullified the appointment of Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed Tijani Anaje as the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland and mandated that compliance with the traditional and legal procedures in the selection of new Ohinoyi of Ebiraland must be fully respected.

All attempts to speak with the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ahmed Muhammed Tajani Anaje, were not successful as his phone numbers were not going through.

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Kogi govt takes action as court sacks Ohinoyi

Meanwhile, the Kogi government under Governor Usman Ododo on Tuesday, February 4, filed an appeal before the Abuja division of the court of appeal against the removal of the Ohinoyi of Ebiraland by the state high court.

Muzi Abdullahi, the attorney-general of Kogi, the second claimant in the appeal, made this known to journalists in Lokoja, the state capital.

In the reliefs sought, the state government pleaded with the appellate court to allow the appeal and give an order setting aside the decision of the lower court. They also prayed the court to dismiss the suit of the first to third respondents at the trial court for lacking merit. According to the Kogi state government, the trial judge erred in law.

Source: Legit.ng