You Could Not Show You’re Principal Members – High Court Chides Litigants, Upholds Se-Alabo Iganima’s Headship of Jack Manilla Pepple House

September 26, 2025 Emily Igoerechinma

A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has dismissed a suit brought before it by some members of the Jack Manilla Pepple House of Bonny Kingdom on grounds that the claimants could not show proof that they are principal members of the chieftaincy house.

The Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House are owners of Olom Abalama (Oguede) Community in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State.

**Chief and Head, Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House, Bonny Kingdom, Se-Alabo Iganima Jack Manilla Pepple, sitting among his people at a recent event.**

The presiding judge in Suit No.: PHC/1340/CS/2023, Justice Chinwe Nsirim held that the claimants’ reliefs failed and are accordingly dismissed, while reminding the parties of their rights to appeal, but made no order as to cost.

According to her, the court found that both the claimants and defendants are all indigenes of Olom-Abalama (Oguede) Community in Bonny LGA of Rivers State, and that control and management of assets of the family/community are vested in the traditional leadership of the house and community.

The claimants in the suit are Wariopusenibo Promise Pepple (Elder representing Ogbolodonghbo Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Williams S. Pepple (Elder representing Aya-Ogbolonta Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Maxwell A. Pepple (Elder representing Igbinifa Family Unit), David K. Pepple (Elder representing Balafama Family Unit), Dienye I. Pepple (Principal Member from Ogbolonene Family Unit), and John T. Pepple (Principal member from Ayaogbolonta Family Unit) (for themselves and on behalf of the Jack Manila Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom in Bonny Local Government Area of Rivers State excluding the defendants).

The defendants include Iganima Pepple (Adaoju/Biefini Burusu Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Boswick Allison (Boswick Pepple) (Elder representing Nwankpa Burusu Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Fred S. Pepple (Elder representing Ogbolonene Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Emmanuel Pepple (Elder representing Ayamusibo Burusu Family Unit), Wariopusenibo Aboma M. Pepple (Elder representing Tamuno-Ngoopunye Burusu Family Unit), Gift Pepple and Clement Pepple (for themselves and on behalf of the Jack Manilla Pepple Chieftaincy House Of Bonny Kingdom In Bonny Local Government Area Of Rivers State excluding the claimants).

**Women and maidens of Olom Abalama (Oguede) Community in Bonny LGA, Rivers State.**

The judge stated that the claimants not only failed to show that they are principal members of the family, they were also unable to show that they were sidelined or how they were sidelined in the process of constituting the Elders Council.

She averred that her court cannot sit in appeal over the judgment of another State High Court presided over by Justice Elsie Thompson in 2022, which she observed that the parties in the suit were yet to come to terms with.

With today’s judgment, the cloud is finally settling on the leadership imbroglio bedeviling the chieftaincy house and Oguede Community, which only got a chief and head recently after over a 100 years, as well as consolidate Se-Alabo Iganima Jack Manilla Pepple’s position as substantive Chief and Head of the House.