How School Principal Usurps Yamaabana Family Land

That family is Yamaabana family of Nyobe Bangha in Khana Local Government Area, whose off springs, not being aware of an agreement their grandfathers entered into with SPDC which acquired the land, could not know that Friday Menedum, their kinsman, who claimed the land, had been collecting royalties that should have been paid to them from the land.

When the Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) acquired the land which is known as Nyokuru East Drilling Location” in 1964, it entered into an agreement with the fore bears of Yamaabana family, where in it was stated that the lands acquired belongs to Yamaabana family.

Acting in conformity with the agreement, SPDC as at that time paid the first royalty  Yamaabana family.

That 1964 was the only time any member of Yamaabana family collected royalty from the land. Friday Menedum, the fraudulent school principal has since then being helping himself with the royalties which he has, being collecting behind their backs from SPDC.

However, his fraudulent act has been discovered, and it was discovered in a most unusual way. Prior to the death of Gogonee, the last of the direct children of the Yamaabana family, Latam Gogonee was detailed by the family to watch over the deceased, who being old was the only Yamaabanas at home. Other direct children were resident in Port Harcourt.

In 2008, Menedum, the school principal came to Yamaabana’s home and informed Letam who was tending, the old Gogonee that the Nyokuru East Drilling Location site acquired by SHELL actually belongs to their family, saying it was their right to be paid compensation and royalty for the said land. He purportedly told him that he would use his expertise and influence to get the company make payments to the family of Yamaabana. He had equally coaxed Letam to jointly sign a letter of introduction in respect of Grawason Integrated Services Limited dated 19th May 2008. Letam being largely an illiterate, did not understand the contents of the letter or what the company was all about, he nevertheless, signed it.

The principal’s fraudulent activities against Yamaabana family became exposed when around December 2009 SHELL informed that it was coming to make payment for the Yamaabana land it acquired for its oil exploration activities. However, instead of making the payment in Nyobe Bangha, the village of Yamaabana family, the school principal, Friday Menedum, directed SPDC to go to Taabaa village to make the payment. This was to ensure that Yammabana family members did not know about it.

Letam Gogonee, a member of the Yamaabana family who heard this fraudulent diversion traced the principal and others with him to Taaba where they were discussing the payment. Letam intervened and demanded an explanation as to why the payment due for their family should be misdirected to the principal and his cohorts. He consequently informed Gbenemene Bua Bangha, King Suanu Baridam who immediately ordered that the payment should not be made to the principal and further directed the SPDC to go back with the cheque.

Letam’s effrontery in stopping the payment angered Friday, the school principal, and since then he has been making life a living hell for Letam and other surviving children of Yamaabana family.

In dealing with the surviving Yamaabanas, Friday, the fraudulent school principal, employed the services of two other people, Baridakara Yorben said to be a customary court staff, and his son, Victor Baridakara Yorben, an alleged mobile police officer who doubles as the youth president of the area. These two who are great beneficiaries of the royalties SPDC has been paying for the said land, have allegedly intimidated, threaten tortured and detained Yamaabana surviving grand children, particularly Sunday, Letam and Legborsi.

Severally, particularly in October 2003 and January 2011, Letam was severely battered and unlawfully detained by Victor the alleged mobile police officer. Legborsi Yamaabana who narrated the story to our reporter was some time ago arrested and held for two days at Bori Police Station, until he was eventually released. He told our reporter that he and his brother, Letam have been having rough times in the hands of Victor. He further told National Network that, Victor has continually threatened them with death.

These death threats had not however deterred them as they are determined to claim what rightly belongs to their family and which some highly placed people in the area have attested belongs to them. The present chief of Nyobe Bangha, Chief Sunday Nwibiae has severally attested that the SPDC Nyokuru East Drilling Location which is also known as: Kue Yamaabana land belongs to the Yamaabana family. The chief was present the day, Gbenemene Bua Bangha directed SHELL to go back with the cheque it planned to disburse to the principal and his partner-in-crime, Baridakara Yorben.

Gbenemen Bua Bangha, King Suanu Baridam, the custodian of the customs and traditions of the people of the area, has equally confirmed that the land belongs to Yamaabana family. In a letter he addressed to SPDC on September 3, 2012, which was a reply to application for assistance Yamaabana family members earlier addressed to the company for the burial of the family head, King Baridam said; “The Yamaabana family, to the best of my knowledge, are the rightful owners of the parcel of land on which your Nyokuru East Drilling Location” is situated, but who sadly have yet to receive payments in form of royalty from your organization”. The letter which was titled: “Re: Application For Assistance In The Burial Of Our Family Head And Landord of SHELL, SPDC Nyokuru East Drilling Location – Gogonee Yamaabana”, further discloses that Mr. Gogonee Yamaabana, the family head was dead and recommends that the company should consider giving the family adequate financial support to facilitate a befitting burial of the late man.

Relying on this traditional rulers’ confirmation and ever determined to take back what rightly belongs to their family, the surviving grand children of the Yamaabana have instituted a court case against the usurpers of their legitimate right at the Oyigbo Judicial Division.

The suit which number is: OYHC/225/2011 was instituted on behalf of the Yamaabana family by their counsel, N. E. Ofoegbu Esq. In it, the counsel, prays the court to award N20m (twenty Million Naira) as damages to the Yamaabanas for ill treatment meted out to them by Friday Menedum and his cohorts.

When the case came up on October 11, 2012, SPDC brought a motion asking that its name be removed from the suit. The judge rejected the motion and adjourned the case till 5th November, 2012.

As at the time of going to the press, Friday Menedum could not be reached for his reaction, but an indigene of Nyobe Baugha who spoke to our correspondent after the adjournment said, having admitted that the land belongs to Yamaabana family, he should stop collecting further royalties from SHELL, plead for forgiveness and sign an undertaking that he shall refund part of what he had collected so far. “If he does that, the Yamaabana’s could consider withdrawing the case it instituted against him and his cohorts”, he said.###

As written by Polycarp Nwaeke

Source: National Network News