Facts:

The appellant (as plaintiff) filed an action at the High Court claiming the sum of N20,000,000.00 (Twenty Million Naira) as damages for wrongful dismissal of the plaintiff as a dealer of the defendant’s products; N589,750.00 (Five hundred and eighty nine thousand seven hundred and fifty Naira) for wrongful detention of his goods and N1,000.00 (One thousand Naira) per day from July 2001 untill the chattels are returned, and an Account of the commission due to the plaintiff in respect of the dealership.

The respondent filed a motion challenging the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the suit on the ground that the suit is statute barred. The respondents specifically relied on sections 18, 44 and 45 of the Limitation Edict, 1994 of Imo State.

After hearing arguments from counsel, the learned trial Judge, in his ruling of 4th February, 1998 held that the action was not statute barred because the applicable statute was the Limitation Act of 1623 of England, a statute of general application. The Court of Appeal set aside the ruling of the learned trial Judge. The court held that the Limitation Edict of 1994 applied and that the action was statute barred.