Appeal court slashes trespass award in Manchester land row

The Court of Appeal has reduced a $400,000 damages award to $150,000 while maintaining a finding of trespass against the Simmonds family. The ruling concerns a long-standing land dispute in Swaby’s Hope, Spur Tree, Manchester. The Morgan family, including Marylyn Morgan, Melva Morgan, and Jason Salmon, initiated legal action in 2017 after members of the Simmonds family began building a house on land the Morgans claimed to have used for more than 40 years, according to the Jamaica Gleaner.

Justice Oyebisi Omoleye has retired from the Court of Appeal after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70. According to Punch and Punch Nigeria, Omoleye was the first female Chief Judge of Ekiti State before her elevation to the Court of Appeal.

Tributes for the retired jurist were shared during a thanksgiving service at Emmanuel Cathedral in Ado Ekiti. At the service, Archbishop Marcus Amfani described Omoleye as a trailblazer who made a significant impact on the Nigerian judiciary. Ekiti State Governor Biodun Oyebanji also spoke at the event, describing her as a blessing to the state.

Brief written by urgent.news from Jamaica Gleaner, Punch, Punch Nigeria — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.