The Youths and Environmental Advocacy Centre – Nigeria (YEAC-Nigeria) has rejected the ruling of a Port Harcourt High Court which called both the organization and the executive director thieves.
Ina statement Friday, January 30, 2026, Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface, the Executive Director, said: “We did not steal, we will not steal to do our project”. The executive director said he just obtained the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment and would be heading to higher courts to clear the name of the organization.
Justifying his reasons for objecting to the verdict, Dumnanene said: “Take it to the bank that neither YEAC nor Dr. Fyneface Dumnamene stole the idea of Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative from anybody, not even from Mao Nangi Obu.”
He went on: “We couldn’t have stolen it when he posted it on social media on October 20, 2020, whereas we mentioned it on radio on July 27, 2020.
“We would not also have stolen it from the defendant on October 20, 2020, when we had developed it in full in August 2020, as later published as “The Doctrine of PACORDI And Other Oil Theft Mitigation Mechanisms for Nigeria.
“We would not have stolen it from him on October 20, 2020, and used it to apply for funding from Global Greengrants Fund (GGF) upon the recommendation of Nnimmo Bassey, in September 2020, to secure the $3,500 to implement the project. He saw the report of the project implementation in the Guardian (Newspaper) on December 21, 2020, and thought that we stole it from him on October 20, 2020, and published.
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“We would not have stolen PACORDI on October 20, 2020, and GGF, USA sent YEAC & Fyneface the $3,500, which arrived in our Zenith bank dollar account on October 14, 2020.
“We would not also have stolen PACORDI on October 20, 2020, and GGF USA sent YEAC & Fyneface an award letter dated October 15, 2020, etc.”
The executive coordinator stated thus: “All these documents, among many others, were presented to the Court as evidence, but the court ignored all of them, dismissed the suit, said what the defendant wrote about us on social media were correct and true and gave judgment even into the area that he doesn’t have jurisdiction, and called YEAC and DR. Fyneface Dumnamene Fyneface thieves. The judge surprisingly stated that we stole the idea and converted it to our use.”
The court also said in the CTC that Fyneface “doctored” the audio recording that was officially released to him by the management of Wish 99.5FM of his news on July 27, 2020 upon his directed formal application and the approval of the Managing Director of Maurice Communications, Chinyere Igwe.
He added: “What you should all just know and bear in mind is that those who are afraid of our vocal stance and intimidating profile as an organisation and individual, frontline defence of human and environmental rights in the Niger Delta and Nigeria and those who have been looking for opportunities to bring us down are at work.
“What is happening to YEAC and Fyneface today is not just about us but about all vocal and credible members of the society who are shaping the world. It is from forces and individuals working to bring them down.
“It’s also a big threat to other NGOs and Civil Society Organisations in Rivers State, the Niger Delta, Nigeria and the world over and when people and organizations sit and watch thinking that this is only Advocacy Centre and Fyneface’s problems and they should face it alone then, frankly speaking, we don’t know who or which organization is next.”
He said the YEAC-Nigeria was established on the direct, documented and issued instructions of the government and people of the United States of America under President Donald Trump as the President of the United States through the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Cultural and Educational Affairs upon recommendation of the United States Mission in Nigeria (Embassy and Consulate General) to go to the Niger Delta for the “Strengthening of Community-Based Advocacy through Multi-Stakeholders Engagement” and contribute to the development of the region using the contacts given, following the participation of its Executive Director, Fyneface, in a Special One-Off Exchange Programme of the International Visitor Leadership Programme (IVLP) in 2018 after it was shifted from 2017 when the organization had been set-up as instructed and circulated in the American system.
Shock:
Dumnamene said he was shocked to read the judgment after going through the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment from the Rivers State High Court presided over by Okogbule David Gbasam in the case between YEAC, Fyneface vs Mao Nangi Obu, that lasted between April 1, 2021, and December 12, 2025, in the Libel suit over allegations of alleged theft of the “Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refining Development Initiative” also called and abbreviated as “PACORDI”. He said he saw that the court judged, among others, that both YEAC and Fyneface were “Thieves”.
“The court ruled that we stole the idea of ‘Presidential Artisanal Crude Oil Refinishing Initiative’ from the defendant in the case and converted it to our own.
“To me, it’s just very laughable also because this is the same court that had ruled against itself in a motion brought by the defendant challenging its jurisdiction, stating that it doesn’t have the power to rule on the ownership of the idea, and the court ruled against itself that it doesn’t have the power to rule on who owns PACORDI or not.
“The Court had also said during the judgment on December 12, 2025, that it was not giving judgment on PACORDI but on the Libel suit, as also earlier communicated to you.”
YEAC boss recalled also that it was because he wanted a court that has jurisdiction to speak on who owns PACORDI or not that they filed the case at the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt. “This was later struck out for reasons I’m yet to know because I’ve not received the CTC of the action still date and I have just told our lawyer to go and get it for us.
“While this is very laughable to us, we urge you all and our supporters to continue breast feeding your babies (remain calm) as time will tell the truth.”
