A self-acclaimed traditional ruler, Benedict Dan-Jumbo has been sentenced to one month imprisonment for contempt of court and false claims to the chieftaincy stool of the Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House of Bonny Kingdom.

Recall that a Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Port Harcourt presided over by Rosemary Ibanibo had on Thursday, March 30, 2023 convicted Dan-Jumbo when she delivered judgment in charge number, PMC/1114C/2016; Abinye Dan-Jumbo vs Benedict Dan-Jumbo & 2 Others.

In the said ruling, Chief Magistrate Ibanibo had asked given him two weeks to go purge himself of the contempt or face a one month jail term.

When it resumed on Tuesday, April 17, 2023, the court sentenced Benedict to prison for one month for being a contemnor and for failing to purge himself as ordered by the court. It also issued a bench warrant for his arrest for not appearing in court.

In a chat with Kristina Reports, counsel to the complainant, Eugene Odey said the court “out of its magnanimity, shortened the jail term from three months to one, yet the plaintiff didn’t show up”.

“Recall, at the last adjourned date when we were in court, Elder Benedict Dan-Jumbo was found guilty of the offence of contempt and was duly convicted accordingly. However, the court in its magnanimity reserved the sentence.”

The court, actually, sentenced him but it was a suspended sentence and a punishment that was supposed to be for three months, considering his age and health condition, was reduced to one month subject to the accused person purging himself before the next adjourned date.”

“Actually, the purport of his suspended sentence is almost like what we call parole to see if the convicted person will show reasonable cause for leniency, maybe, the sentence would have been properly converted to a lighter sentence instead of going to prison. Probably, it would’ve been community service or something like that but that privilege was given to him to purge himself between the last adjourned date and today.”

“Unfortunately, between that time and now, the convicted Benedict Dan-Jumbo refused to purge himself. He was still holding himself out as chief-elect of Dan-Jumbo House in defiance of the judgement of court.”

He noted that given the obdurate stance of the convicted man, it became necessary for his sentence to be activated immediately, thus the plaintiff applied for bench warrant that was approved by the court.

Counsel to the convicted, Ehijie Omoruyi was unavailable for comments after the sentencing was issued by the court.