A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has set aside March 23 and 24 for arguments of applications by parties in the N50 billion suit filed against the Shell Petroleum Development Company, SPDC.
A couple and employees of Shell, Emeka and Stella Okoli, filed the suit seeking damages for medical negligence by doctors working in Shell Hospital in Port Harcourt during an appendectomy operation on their child, Chinazam.
Chinazam, the only son of the claimants, suffered brain damage and remained incapacitated, confined to a wheelchair following the alleged negligent surgical procedure by the Shell hospital and its doctors.
Those sued alongside Shell as second and third defendants are Dr. Alexander Dimoko and Dr. Dafe Akpoduado, who performed the appendectomy surgery on Chinazam in September 2016.
During resumed proceedings, the defendants through their lawyers, Cyriacus Orlu, for Shell and Michael Amadi for 2nd and 3rd defendants, informed the court of their pending applications objecting to th¹ suit of th¹ claimants.
They told the court that their separate applications were predicated on an argument that the writ of summons used in commencing the action by the claimants was incompetent.
They said the writ was not in line with Sections 97 and 98 of the Rules of Sheriff and Civil Processes Act and that the suit should be dismissed.
Responding, counsel to the claimants’ Prof. Akin Ibidapo-Obe, told the court to discountenance the applications by the defence.
