Widowed Contractor Slams Bayelsa Attorney General With Contempt Charge Over Non-payment Of N1.06Billion Despite Court Order

***Laments Oppression By State Government

The Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Bayelsa State, Hon Biriyai Dambo (SAN) is currently facing Contempt Charge following his refusal to pay the judgment sum of #1.06B into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Bayelsa State Judiciary, pending the Appeal lodged by the AG against the judgment of the Bayelsa State High Court delivered by Hon. Justice D.E. Adokeme on 15th of January, 2021 in favour of REMATON SERVICES LIMITED in respect of the outstanding contract sum for the construction of the Bayelsa State High Court complex in Yenagoa.

According to a press statement signed by the traumatized widow -Arch (Pst.) Mrs. Mary Ojokojo, her husband, late Arch. Reuben Ojokojo, a Bayelsan from Sagbama, who was the alter ego of the construction company, died on the course of pursuing the contract payment, leaving the widow and her children to continue the struggle.

The single parent said she could not believe that the government of governor Douye Diri, who miraculously assumed office through a landmark Supreme Court ruling would exhibit such utter disrespect for a court ruling.

She described her case as “the sad story of the oppression of a poor widow and contractor by the Government of Bayelsa State”

The frustrated widow maintained that the Government of Bayelsa State and the Attorney General of the State were in gross disobedience to the Orders made by the High Court of Bayelsa State Coram Hon. Justice D.E. Adokeme for payment of the judgment sum of N1,006,157,047.71k, (One Billion, Six Million, One Hundred and Fifty Seven Thousand, Forty Naira, Seventy One Kobo) into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Bayelsa State within one week of the making of the order.

She recounted that the said post judgment order was made in a ruling delivered on the 10th day of March, 2021, in Suit No: YHC/26/2019, between: REMATON SERVICES LIMITED Vs. GOVERNMENT OF BAYELSA STATE & ANOR, wherein the trial Court refused the Motion for Stay of Execution of the Judgment delivered in the said suit on the 15th day of January, 2021 in favour of the Claimant to the tune of N1,006,157,047.71k as unpaid contract balance for the construction of the High Court Complex, Yenagoa.

A document made available to newsmen in Yenagoa by the windowed contractor reads in parts: “It is noteworthy that since the 10th of March, 2021 when the order was made ordering the Government of Bayelsa State and the Attorney General of Bayelsa State to pay the Judgment sum into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the High Court of Bayelsa State, pending the determination of the Appeal filed against the judgment till date, the Government has failed/refused to obey the orders of the Court but is in gross disobedience of same, despite the fact that no appeal has been filed or lodged against the said Court order.

“In a landmark judgment delivered on the 15th day of January, 2021 by Hon. Justice D.E. Adokeme, the High Court of Bayelsa State entered judgment in favour of the contractor, and ordered the Government of Bayelsa State to pay to the contractor the sum of N1,006,157,040, being the actual contract balance, with 10% interest per annum on the judgment sum from the date of judgment till final liquidation of the judgment debt.

“The Government of Bayelsa State, through the office of the Attorney General of Bayelsa State, promptly filed a Motion for Stay of Execution of the judgment at the trial Court, pending the determination of the Appeal filed against the judgment to the Court of Appeal.

“The High Court, in a ruling delivered on the 10th day of March, 2021, refused the application for stay of execution of the judgment and rather ordered the Government of Bayelsa State to pay the judgment sum into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Bayelsa State Judiciary within one week of the ruling and deposit proof of payment with the Chief Registrar or the Registrar, Litigation office.

“The Hon. Attorney General of Bayelsa State failed and refused to obey the order of the High Court for the payment of the judgment sum into the account of the Chief Registrar of the Bayelsa State Judiciary; consequently, the contractor had no option than to commence contempt proceedings against the Hon. Attorney General of Bayelsa State in 2021.

“However, the Attorney General of Bayelsa State – Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, pleaded with the contractor to withdraw the contempt proceedings and for the parties to amicably settle the matter and even made an offer to pay the judgment debt in few installments.

“The contractor, out of trust, withdrew the contempt suit; but immediately this was done, the AG, Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN reneged on his promise and proceeded to file a fresh Motion for Stay of Execution at the Court of Appeal and prosecuted his Appeal against the judgment of the trial Court.

“However, the AG’s appeal was dismissed by the Court of Appeal as grossly lacking in merit. The AG then proceeded to the Supreme Court by filing another appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal, vide Supreme Court No: SC/CV/1026/2024 between Government of Bayelsa State & Anor Vs. Rematon Services Limited and also filed another motion for Stay of Execution of the Judgment of the Court of Appeal, all in a bid to frustrate the contractor.

“Although, there had been some interventions by the Bayelsa State Government through 2 top Government officials, who, on the directives of the Governor, met with the contractor and negotiated with it for settlement of the total judgment debt and interest, to pave way for payment by the State Government.

“After painstaking negotiations, they agreed on terms, having regard to the entire circumstances of the case, especially the fact that the contractor already had 2 judgment against it in favour of its creditors from the Rivers State High Court for debts owed by the contractor on account of this Bayelsa State High Court Complex Project, which judgments runs into hundreds of millions of naira with interests running on the judgments which is yet to be liquidated by the contractor; coupled with the fact that the contractor has lost most of its equipment including dredgers to execution of writs of fife against it by other creditors; the devaluation of the naira from when the payment became due till, including solicitors fees owed by the contractor, among other factors.

“The contractor gave some concession on the judgment sum and interest accrued thereon and reached a mutual agreement with the said 2 Government officials on the sum payable to the contractor with the assurances that the contractor would be paid soonest.

“However, in a dramatic turn of events, the contractor subsequently received a call from the Attorney General of Bayelsa State Mr. Biriyai Dambo, SAN, offering her a sum less than even the actual contract balance sum as the sum allegedly approved by the Governor and urging the contractor to accept his offer as full and final settlement of the judgment debt and interests.

“This, the contractor considers as nothing more than an act of gross oppression by the Government, who is the debtor, dictating the sum payable to its creditor and imposing same on the creditor who is considered “helpless”; while enjoying and using the project duly executed by the contractor /creditor.

“The contractor rejected the offer of the AG and has decided to wait for the Supreme Court’s verdict in the pending appeal.”

Mrs. Ojokojo argued that the Government of Bayelsa State against whom there is a concurrent finding of fact by the High Court and Court of Appeal judgments, cannot continue to illegally retain and detain the judgment debt in flagrant disregard of the order made by the trial Court in 2021.

The statement further reads: “the Government of Bayelsa State which is a beneficiary of the judgment/order of the Supreme Court delivered on 13th February, 2020, sacking Chief David Lyon which led to the enthronement of Senator Douye Diri as Executive Governor of Bayelsa State, chose to disobey with impunity the modest order of the High Court of Bayelsa State, made since 10th of March, 2021, for the judgment sum to be deposited into an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the Bayelsa State Judiciary, pending the Appeal lodged by the Government, which order has the effect of placing both parties on equilibrium, pending the final determination of the Appeal.

“The instant contempt proceedings in Suit No: BYHC/ YHC/CV/17/2025 between Rematon Services Limited Vs. Government of Bayelsa State & 2 Ors, with the Attorney General of Bayelsa State and Hon. Biriyai Dambo, SAN as 2nd and 3rd Respondents respectively in the suit, is seeking to enforce the orders of the High Court of Bayelsa State made on the 10th of March, 2021.

“At the time of filing this report, all the Respondents had been duly served with the FORM 48: “Notice of Consequence of Disobedience to Order of Court” filed on 24/04/2025.”

The disappointed widow is using the medium to call on both national and international civil liberties organizations and rights activists to come to her aid, lamenting that the Bayelsa state government has subjected her and the children left behind by her late husband to economic and psychological trauma.