An Edo State High Court sitting in Benin City, Edo State has on the 23rd of June, issued “Form 48 – Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court,” to the Managing Director of Edo State Geographic Information Service and the Surveyor-General, Edo State Geographic Information Sevice in Suit No. B/61/2022 instituted by Gaius Idusuyi Emokpae, representatives of the Oke-Oroma Village in Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area and five others, against the Edo State government in 2022.
The FORM 48 which reads, “Take notice that unless you obey the directions contained in this order, you will be guilty of contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison,” was attached with the “Enrolment of Order,” of the court dated 4 August 2022, wherein the presiding judge, Honourable Justice V. O. Eboreime made the three orders after hearing submissions of the learned counsel for the Claimants and the Defendants.
“The Order of this Court refusing the application by the learned Counsel to the Defendants for adjournment to file the Defendants’ Counter Affidavit is hereby set aside and accordingly, I deem the Counter Affidavit of the Defendants filed on the 16th day of June, 2022 as properly filed and served.
“I give an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Defendants/Respondents, their agents, servants and /or privies from further trespassing on, bulldozing or developing the land in dispute situate and lying at Oke -Oroma Village in Ikpoba- Okha Local Government Area, Edo State with an area of 714.750 hectares or doing anything whatsoever on the land in dispute that is inconsistent with the right of the Claimants/Applicants pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
“I give an Order of Interlocutory Injunction restraining the Defendarits/Respondents, their servants, agents and/or privies from taking possession of the land in dispute situate and lying at Oke-Oroma Village, Ikpoba.Okha Local Governmient Area, Edo State which contains an area of 714.750 hectares or destroying the crops thereon or improvements on the aforesaid landed property pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
The FORM 48 was also attached with an Affidavit of Sevice dated 30th day of June 2026, sworn to by the Court Balliff.
The Claimants in the suit also went ahead to publish the Court processes under reference in the Vanguard newspaper of Monday, 3rd August, 2026.
When Newscurve24 sought the legal implications of the service of FORM 48 on the two Edo State government officials, a Benin based legal practitioner who does not want his name in print noted that the FORM 48 as served is warning the government officials as agents of Edo State government to ensure that the Orders of Court as contained in the Enrolment of Order are obeyed to the letter, else they’ll be committed to prison.
He noted further that the publication is a subtle warning to land speculators and unsuspecting members of the public not have any land transactions with any of the Defendants in the suit pending the determination of the suit as such dealings during the pendency of the case will be invalid, null and void, adding that such deals are not protected by law and the courts.