A fresh leadership crisis has erupted in Buguma City, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State, as the Buguma Council of Chiefs has dragged leaders of the Kalabari Ekine Sekiapu Society to court over the planned 2026 Owu Aru Suun Festival.
In a suit filed at the Rivers State High Court, Degema Judicial Division, the claimants—led by the Regent of Kalabari Kingdom and Buguma City, HRH Dr. Alabo Charles I.T. Numbere Princewill Amachree, alongside other chiefs—are seeking declaratory and injunctive reliefs against officials of the Kalabari Ekine Sekiapu Society.
The suit centres on allegations that the defendants fixed dates and commenced preparations for the 2026 Owu Aru Suun Festival without the approval of the Buguma Council of Chiefs, contrary to Kalabari native law and custom.
Dispute over authority, sacred sites
The claimants contend that under Kalabari customary law, the Buguma Council of Chiefs, under the Amanyanabo—currently represented by a Regent—has exclusive authority to approve, regulate and supervise all town-wide traditional festivals, including Owu Aru Suun.
They argue that the defendants unlawfully engaged town criers to announce festival schedules across Buguma and issued directives to Polo (compounds), War Canoe Houses and masquerade owners without first obtaining clearance from the Council.
Particularly contentious is the proposed use of King Amachree Square (Buguma Town Square), King Amachree Road (Buguma Main Road) and King Abbi Jetty for the festival.
According to the statement of claim, King Amachree Square is adorned with tombs and statues of past kings and ancestors of the Kalabari Kingdom, which the claimants described as sacred artefacts of deep spiritual significance. They maintain that the square, annexed to King Amachree Hall—the assembly hall of the Council—can only be used for events with express approval of the Council of Chiefs.
The claimants further argue that after any use of the square for masquerade displays, spiritual cleansing rites must be performed by the Amanyanabo-in-Council, a process they say is “beyond monetary value.”
Customary prescriptions in contention.
At the heart of the dispute is the Owu Aru Suun Festival, described as a decadal masquerade celebration during which all Polo, compounds, chiefdoms and War Canoe Houses feature their traditional masquerades.
The claimants aver that such a festival involves sweeping cultural prescriptions affecting the entire town, including directives on approved attire, menu restrictions—such as bans on certain foods—and movement regulations.
They insist that only the Buguma Council of Chiefs has the customary prerogative to issue such directives and to authorise the use of town criers for public announcements.
According to court filings, the defendants allegedly announced that burials would not hold in Buguma between March 9 and March 14, 2026, and directed masquerade owners to prepare for participation, warning that failure to do so could result in forfeiture of their masquerades to the society.
The claimants describe these actions as “reckless,” alleging that the defendants sidelined the Amanyanabo-in-Council and ignored repeated advice to follow due process.
Reliefs sought
Among other reliefs, the claimants are asking the court for:
A declaration that fixing dates and proclaiming the 2026 Owu Aru Suun Festival without Council approval amounts to gross interference with their customary powers, a declaration that any traditional prescriptions issued without such approval are unlawful, null and void.
The Claimants are also seeking an order nullifying all schedules, advertisements, directives and arrangements made in relation to the festival, and a perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from proceeding with the festival without complying with Kalabari native law and custom.
The claimants warned that unless the court intervenes, the defendants may proceed with the festival, exposing the community to “colossal losses and damages far beyond monetary evaluation” and risking unrest.
No hearing date has yet been publicly announced, but the suit sets the stage for a legal showdown that could redefine the balance of traditional authority in Buguma and the wider Kalabari Kingdom.
