Court Dismiss Imo Govt Appeal To Seize Okorocha’s Properties

A three-man panel of the Court of Appeal, Wednesday, dismissed the appeal filed by the Imo State Government challenging the ruling of an Owerri Federal High Court, which granted Senator Rochas Okorocha the leave to amend processes filed before the Court.

During the hearing on Tuesday, the presiding judge, Justice Dattijo Yahaya, dismissed the appeal, following a notice of discontinuance dated and filed on March 16 by the Attorney General of Imo State, Cyprian Akaolisa, on behalf of the government and 41 others.

Counsel to the former Imo governor, Oba Maduabuchi, opposed the withdrawal of the appeal on the ground that the appellants want to deceive the Court by pretending to discontinue the appeal and go back to Imo State and complete what they intend to do before returning to the Court.

He said the appellants were only interested in humiliating the Senator by marking his properties and those of his associates for demolition during the pendency of the suit before a Federal High Court in Owerri and the appeal before the Court of Appeal.

The Presiding Judge however struck out the appeal on the premise that an appellant has the right to withdraw an appeal following a notice of discontinuance properly filed before the Court.

Speaking to journalists shortly after the ruling, Okorocha’s Counsel said the aim of the appeal was to humiliate the former Imo governor and to take over his properties.

He berated the state government for abusing the court process and wasting the court’s time by withdrawing their appeal.