Title: Amanyanabo of Abonnema Files Objection to Sorcery Allegation Suit by Alabo David Briggs Date Published: 19 June 2025 Description: His Majesty King Disrael Gbobo Bob-Manuel, the Amanyanabo of Abonnema, has filed a preliminary objection challenging the jurisdiction of the Degema Customary Court in a suit accusing him of witchcraft.The case, Suit No. DCC/RS/9/2025, was instituted by Alabo David T. Briggs, a chief and member of the Kalabari Ekine Sekiapu, who is demanding the dethronement of the Amanyanabo on the grounds of an unresolved sorcery allegation dating back to 2012.However, in court documents seen by GistReports.com, King Bob-Manuel and six other co-defendants, including notable Abonnema chiefs, argue that the case is statute-barred.Filed under the Customary Court Rules, 2011 and citing Section 16 of the Limitation Law, Cap. 80, Laws of Rivers State, the objection notes that: “The alleged cause of action arose in 2012. The suit was filed on April 23, 2025, 13 years later, well beyond the 5-year limitation period.”King Bob-Manuel’s legal team is asking the court to dismiss the suit entirely or make any other order deemed appropriate, stressing that the matter lacks both legal and procedural merit.This development follows a suit filed by Alabo David Briggs alleging that the monarch’s continued reign amid an unresolved aribo (sorcery) accusation was an affront to Kalabari traditions and had brought public shame to Abonnema indigenes.Meanwhile, the preliminary objection has sparked reactions from some members of the public, who question whether legal technicalities should override the moral expectations of traditional leadership. Critics argue that, beyond jurisdiction, a king bears the responsibility of maintaining an untarnished moral and spiritual image, especially within cultures where being labeled a sorcerer, even without legal conviction can undermine communal trust and sacred authority.The court had yet to fix a hearing date at the time of filing this report, but legal observers note that the preliminary objection, if upheld, could bring a swift end to what is already a deeply controversial case testing the intersection of native law, custom, and modern legal procedure.For continuous updates on this case and other developing stories, stay with www.GistReports.com.  Attached Images: 8245929583ca09508aa87a3c447d1a32b779dd7b0bc41d61d2d59f7422f54530.jpg, b8e99c0a5731a199ee8cb7567ca0857ff5afafa227aba0527676997669caf6a4.jpg Attached Video: None