A Rivers State Customary Court has declared that in line with the custom and tradition of Bonny Kingdom the chief and head of a chieftaincy house in Bonny Kingdom cannot bear the title Amadabo.

The court declared that such use of the term Amadabo by a chief other than a community head was alien to the custom and tradition of Bonny Kingdom.

Delivering the lead judgment in Suit No.: CCB/3/2024, Chairman of the panel, Warigbani Banigo, in consent with her colleagues, S.C. Jumbo and I.I. Hamlet ruled that the chief and head of a chieftaincy house in Bonny Kingdom is its leader, head and paramount ruler of such chieftaincy house, exclusive of all others.  

The claimant in the suit of the Youth President of Dan-Jumbo House, Levi Dan-Jumbo, while the defendant is Daniel Dan-Jumbo, who has now been barred by the court from parading himself as the Amadabo of Dan-Jumbo House of Bonny Kingdom.  

“Accordingly, IT IS HEREBY DECLARED AND ORDERED as follows:

That, by the age long tradition of Bonny Kingdom, the Claimant Community, the Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House of Grand Bonny Kingdom is led and headed by the Chief of Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House of Grand Bonny Kingdom who is the paramount ruler of Dan-Jumbo Community.

i) That by the custom and tradition of Bonny Kingdom, the title Amadabo is not used by any House or Bonny Country Chief apart from Oloma Community whose Amadabo is only a community headand not a House or Country Chief of Bonny Kingdom.

ii) That the acts of the Defendant imposing himself as the Amadabo of Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House of Grand Bonny Kingdom runs contrary to the known custom of Bonny people, not being a term used in Bonny Kingdom for a House or Bonny Country Chief.

iv) That an Order of perpetual injunction be and is hereby made, restraining the Dčfendant, his allies and privies from parading himself and propagating the falsehood that there exist in Bonny Kingdom an Amadabo of Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House of Grand Bonny Kingdom.

v) That an Order of Perpetual Injunction be and is hereby made, restraining the Defendant, his allies, privies, assigns, assoCiaTes or successor in title whatsoever named from further usurping the powers of constituted authorities in Dan-Jumbo community and Dan-Jumbo Çhieftaincyy House of Grand Bonny Kingdom and from violating the custom and tradition of Bonny Kingdom.

I make no further Order(s) in the circumstance. This is the judgment of the court.”

The title, Amadabo (Ibani for community head) has generated so much furore recently with diverse interpretations and conjectures surrounding its usage and who qualifies to bear it.

This judgment by the Customary Court appears to have put paid to the controversy trailing the usage of the title with special regards to the custom and tradition of the Ibani people.