“No Judgement Sacking Sole Administrator Ibas” – Rivers Judiciary

By Adesina Soyooye

The publication that a Federal  High Court Port Harcourt, on Tuesday, in a judgement, sacked the Sole Administrator of Rivers State, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ette Ibas has been refuted by the State Judiciary.

The report had said that Justice Boma Diepiri of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, in a ruling, sacked Ibas. However, Diepiri is of the Rivers State High Court and not of the Federal High Court.

In a rebuttal on Wednesday, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua- Maduenyi, said no Judge in the State, including tye Honourable Justice Diepiri who was alleged to have delivered the judgement, gave such ruling.

The report on the removal of Ibas was viral on Tuesday in the Social Media.

The rebuttal reads: “The attention of the Rivers State Judiciary has been drawn to a fake news report alleging that His Lordship, Hon. Justice Boma Diepiri, delivered a judgement sacking the Sole Administrator of Rivers State. This is false in its entirety.”

Justice Diepiri, the statement pointed out, is a Judge of the Rivers State Judiciary, and couldn’t have crossed over to the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, to deliver such a ruling. Moreover, the Honourable Judge is on Easter   Vacation.

For the records, the statement pointed out, a Federal High Court and a State High Court are two separate entities. In dismissing the whole story as nonsense, the statement noted that the inclusion of Justice Diepiri’s name in the fabricated report, underscores the crass ignorance of the author.”

In the past couple of days, a number of fake stories have been emanating from Rivers State. The most brazen was that Ibas had summoned suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his Deputy, Dr. Ngozi Ordu to appear before him to answer to some questions relating to the appointments made in the State since 2023.