ELDER AMADI UCHEGBU MR. SILAS OMAH MR. GODFREY AKPELY MR. FRIDAY OMAH MR. THOMAS IKONWA UCHEGBU MR. SAMUEL ODIBA PRINCE OMAH (SUING FOR THEMSELVES AND BEHALF OF THE UMUCHE OMUORDU FAMILY OF EGBEDA IN EMOHUA LGA) V. THE SHELL PETROLEUM DEV. CO. NIG. LTD

ABDULLAHI JCA (Delivering the Lead Judgment): This is an appeal against the decision of the High Court of Justice, Port Harcourt Judicial Division, coram. E. N. Ogbuji (J) delivered on 27 September 2004. The learned trial Judge onground of jurisdiction struckout the suit ofthe plaintiffs, now appellants contendingthat he lacked jurisdiction to hear and determine the issues in dispute between the parties.

The appellants were the plaintiffs in the court below while the respondent was the defendant in that court. By their statement of claim filed along with the writ of summons, the plaintiffs/appellants claimed as follows: “Whereof the plaintiffs claim possession of the piece/parcel of land measuring approximately 1.7 hectares, situate, lyingand being at Umuche, Omuordu, Egbeda in Emohua Local Government Area of Rivers State which was let by the plaintiffs to the defendant under a tenancy from year to year at the annual rental value as determined by the defendant to be N800

(eight hund…