Facts:

The plaintiff is an apex fisheries cooperative body in Akwa Ibom State with Registration Number AK – 139 of 28th August 1990 under the Cross River State Cooperative Societies Law (now applicable to Akwa Ibom State). It has members numbering over 10,000 all over the 31 Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State. In their statement of claim, the members’ claimed that their fishing businesses were adversely affected by the Mobil Oil Spillage of January 12th, 1998. The damages suffered by the plaintiff’s members were valued and put at N652,477,500 (Six hundred and fifty two million, four hundred and seventy seven thousand five hundred naira). The plaintiff presented the claim for compensation to its members to the defendant and dissatisfied with the offer of N30,000.00 (Thirty thousand naira) filed this action in protest. The defendants denied any liability to the plaintiffs.