By Emem Idio

NEMBE—A Bayelsa State High Court, sitting in Nembe, has restrained the chairman of Okoroba community Council of Chiefs, Chief Benjamin Puyatei and the acting chief priest of Ogidiga shrine, Chief Joseph Ndubueze, from compelling 442 natives, mainly Christians, to partake in Eyalikai festival and worship of Ogidiga deity.

The court, presided over by Justice L. M. Boufini, in a ruling, declared that the compulsion of natives to participate in Eyalkai festival and the worship of the deity of Ogidiga was unlawful and, therefore, constitute a violation of their fundamental human rights guaranteed and protected under Sections 34 and 38 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2011, as amended, and Article 5 of the African Charter of Human and Peoples Ratification and Enforcement Act.

The court also restrained the respondents from further disruption of the propagation of the teaching of Christian religion, by prayers, crusaders, open air preaching, sharing of tracts and Bibles and other Christian gatherings.”

Twelve natives, mainly Christians, led by Mr. Hitler Adumom, Apostle Jeremiah Youpele, Prophet Elijah Omu, Elder Nathan Diegha, and eight others, acting for themselves and 430 others, had dragged the chairman of the Okoroba Council of Chiefs, Secretary of the Council of Chiefs, chairman of the Community Development Committee, CDC, and the chief priest to court over intimidation, harassment and compulsion to make sacrifices to appease the gods and participate in the Eyalikai festival.

Additional orders made by the court against the defendants are: “An order restraining all the respondents, their heir, successor and agents from further compelling  to participate in the Eyalikai festival and the worship of the deity of Ogidiga shrine; to make financial contribution to the festival and compel the applicants to stay to stay at home during the festival.

“An order restraining the respondents from further torture, intimidation, harassment, flogging, beating, compulsion to make sacrifice to appease the gods, destruction of applicants’ property and other punitive mechanisms devised by respondents meted to the applicants for their refusal to bow to the deity of Ogidiga shrine.”