ADEREMI JCA (Delivering the Lead Judgment): This is an appeal against the rulingof the High Court of Justice of Rivers State sitting at Port Harcourt wherein the learned trial Judge sequel to reviewingthe arguments of counselon bothsides forcommittal forcontempt; committedthe appellants for contempt of court on the 1st of March, 2001 and sequel to allocutus, adjourned the passingof sentence on them till 7th March, 2001.
The background facts leading to this appeal are as follows:
“The plaintiffs (hereinafter referred to as the 1st set of respondents) had by paragraph 19 of their amended statement of claim sought against the 1st and 2nd sets of defendants (hereinafter referred to as the 1st and 2nd sets of respondents) as follows;
(1) A declaration that the piece or parcel of land known as Tombiri Poku Kiri, situate, lying and beingat Tomobiri
Okrika in Okrika Local GovernmentArea ofRivers State of Nigeria is the joint and common property of the Amakiri and Iga war canoe houses of Tomobir…