Sylvester Idowu in Warri
The Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has adjourned to April 15 a suit instituted against the Nigerian Army by three firms over 26 months of unpaid rents and seizures of their houseboats.
Presiding Judge, Justice D. S. Pam, ordered the adjournment last Friday after hearing application and counter application arguments from both counsel to the plaintiffs and defendants in suit No: FHC/PH/CS/115/2025.
In the suit, the plaintiffs, Peaches Integrated Services Limited; Godsam Industrial Services Limited and Etucom Integrated Services Limited, that specialise in renting out houseboats claimed they leased out boats to the defendants for their operations in the country’s waterways in the Niger Delta.
The plaintiffs claimed they were in court against the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF); the Chief of Defence Staff and the Commander, Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe over 26 months unpaid rents accruing from the rented house boats by the Nigerian Army and the seizure of their boats.
They claimed that the boats were rented by the Nigerian Army to use in the Niger Delta waterways in the fight against illegal oil bunkering and other activities, but have been seized and used without their rent paid.
The plaintiffs, in their application through their counsel, Mbata Chiburoma, were demanding the full payments accruing from the house boats and their release for maintenance.
During the sitting, respondents, through U. J. Chiedozie, the counsel to the second and third respondents (the Chief of Defence Staff and the Commander, Joint Task Force (JTF), Operation Delta Safe), countered the plaintiffs’ application with a preliminary objection, while the plaintiffs’ counsel, Mbata Chiburoma, responded with a counter affidavit over the preliminary objection.
After arguments by both parties, Justice Pam adjourned the matter to April 15, 2025 to hear all the applications.
The plaintiffs counsel, Chiburoma, told journalists shortly after the court session that the boats were rotting away while the payments for their rents remained out of reach to the owners, noting however, that she is optimistic that justice will be served.
“What the defendants have to do they have not done. They have not released the boats and they have not released the money for their use. And the boats are getting useless by the day and the owners have lost some for lack of maintenance. But I am optimistic that we will get justice,” she stated.
Meanwhile, there was a peaceful protest in front of the court premises, as workers of the affected firms carried placards, decrying the seized boats and the owed rents.
They lamented that they are being owed salary arrears as their employers have been unable to pay them and appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the matter.
Some of the placards read: “Mr President rescue us”, “Our boats are dilapidated due to lack of maintenance”, “We believe in the renewed hope of Mr President, save our soul,” National Assembly intervene now, House Boat contractors are not slaves.”
One of the protesters, who spoke on behalf of the workers, Dennis Linus Ayaraekpe, said: “We are law-abiding citizens doing honest work in order to earn a living. These are our workers that we have not been able to pay. The boats are in a terrible state. Our families are hungry and everybody right now is not happy.
“So, we are pleading with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in this matter. We are also calling on the Attorney General and the Chief of Defence Staff. We just want our sufferings to end.
“We actually made series of efforts to get our money and the boats released. We even sat with the former Chief of Defence Staff in order to resolve this matter. But up till now, we are still being owed,” he added.
