Elo Edremoda, Warri
Orhuwhorun community in Udu council area of Delta state has lost the eight-year long legal battle of secession from Udu kingdom.
A judgment delivered by Honourable Justice C. E. Achelife of the Otor-Udu High Court, made it clear that the only prescribed traditional authority in Udu is vested in Udu Kingdom and that Orhuwhorun cannot be a separate kingdom from the existing Udu kingdom.
It also declared the Ovie of Udu Kingdom as the only recognized monarch, affirming that Orhuwhorun community is part of Udu Kingdom.
It should be noted that Orhuwhorun community has been seeking recognition as an independent kingdom for the past eight years.
Wednesday’s judgment however brought the struggle to an end.
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A N50,000 fine was slammed against Orhuwhorun Community, alongside a warning that henceforth anybody who parades himself as Ovie of the community would be guilty of offence under the Chieftaincy laws of Delta state and risks two years of imprisonment.
Meanwhile, there has been celebration in Udu Kingdom with the Ovie, HRM Emmanuel Delekpe, Owhorhu l, dedicating the victory to the people and the unity of the land.
Secretary to the Udu Traditional Council, Chief Mrs. Elizabeth Odjugo, in her remarks, expressed great joy with the development, urging the Orhuwhorun people to integrate themselves into the main Udu traditional structure for one United Kingdom.
On his part, president general of the Union of Udu Communities, Chief Godwin Jefia, commended the courage of the Judge in declaring without mincing words that “Udu remains one, one language, one kingdom and one people in one local government area.
“The Court made it clear that the land Orhuwhorun occupies belong to Udu and that since they are part of Udu Kingdom, they lost nothing from the judgment because, they remain part of the larger Udu Kingdom,” he stated.
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