Court Threatens To Jail Bayelsa Attorney-General Over State Government's Refusal To Obey Order

A Bayelsa State High Court sitting in Yenagoa has threatened to jail the State Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Biriyai Sambo (SAN) over the state government's refusal to obey an order directing it to pay the sum of N1.006 billion for the construction of the State High Court Complex.

According to the court, the state government also declined another order asking it to remit the same sum into the court account pending an appeal in a higher court regarding a suit numbered YHC/26/2019 and filed by Rematon Services Limited against the state government and the Attorney-General, Biriyai Sambo.

After refusing to honour the judgement of the Court ordering the respondent to pay the remaining N1.006 billion of the total contract sum of N2.083,100,069 billion to the claimant, the court in another order issued by Justice D.E. Adokeme in YHC/25M/2021 denied the stay of execution motion filed by the respondent's counsel, Tarilade Inomoghe Esq that the state government should pay the sum of N1,006,157,040 into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Bayelsa State Judiciary.

The court again, after the refusal of the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice to respect its order, directed that the claimant, Rematon Services Limited should serve the respondent through substituted service by pasting it on the gate of the Ministry of Justice.

The judgment creditor, Remanton Services Limited through Mrs. Boma Ojokojo, the widow of the and Chief Executive Officer, had approached the State High Court to claim that the total contract sum for the construction of the Bayelsa State High Court complex was N3,563,100,069,00 and that "the claimant only received N2,576,943,029,17 from the respondent, therefore, the defendants are still owing the claimant the sum of N1,006,157,040,71.”