In his renewed determination to fight elite criminality and ensure corporate responsibility, the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has arraigned the President of Host Communities of Nigeria Producing Oil and Gas (HOSCON), Jasper Jumbo for forgery, impersonation and false claims.

Jumbo, who is also the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Niger Delta Projects Consortium Limited, was arraigned before Justice Tamunoigoni Orji of the Rivers State High Court on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 in Port Harcourt in Suit No.: PHC/3117/CR/2022.   

Abdulrashid Sidi, represented by Adams Ugwuanyi, appeared for the prosecution, while Kelvin Nwufo, SAN, appeared for the defendant, whose academic credentials and claim of professorship have come under judicial scrutiny before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, a process also initiated by the IGP.

The charges preferred against Jumbo are as follows:

“COUNT ONE: That you Prof Jasper F. Jumbo ‘M’ on or about the 21^st day of July, 2011 at Rivers State High Court of Justice in Port Harcourt within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with the intention to mislead the Court knowingly, gave false testimony on Oath before the High Court of Justice of Rivers State in SUIT NO. PHC/47/2011: CHIEF (WARI ALABO) PROF JASPER F. JUMBO & 12 ORS. VS. CHIEF HORACE F. H. OKO JUMBO & 22 ORS. to the effect that the late Chef Horace F. H. Jumbo, who was then alive, diverted the Jumbo Major House funds to erect a magnificent edifice called “H. F. JUMBO HOUSE” along Aba Road, opposite the Government Vocational Technical College, Port Harcourt, and which assertion you made under oath was discovered to be false during the course of investigation and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 117 and punishable under Section 118 of the Criminal Code Law, Vol. 2, Cap 37 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.

COUNT TWO: That you Prof Jasper F. Jumbo ‘M’ on or about the 21^st day of July, 2011 at Rivers State High Court of Justice in Port Harcourt within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with the intention to mislead the Court and the entire world knowingly gave false testimony on Oath before the High Court of Justice of Rivers State in SUIT NO. PHC/47/2011: CHIEF (WARI ALABO) PROF JASPER F. JUMBO & 12 ORS. VS. CHIEF HORACE F. H. OKO JUMBO & 22 ORS., wherein you deposed to an Affidavit on oath stating that you also obtained a Master’s Degree in Christian Counseling Psychology from the Evangel Christian University of America and during the course of investigation, it was discovered that your assertion on oath were not correct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 117 and punishable under Section 118 of the Criminal Code Law, Vol. 2, Cap 37 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.

COUNT THREE: That you Prof Jasper F. Jumbo ‘M’ on or about 21^st day of January, 2019 at Rivers State High Court of Justice within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with the intention to mislead the Court knowingly, gave false testimony on Oath before the High Court of Justice of Rivers State, Bori Judicial Division, in SUIT NO. BHC/88/2014: DAGOGO JUMBO & CO. NIG LTD VS. SE-ALABO HORACE F. H. JUMBO & 9 ORS., wherein you deposed to an Affidavit on oath stating that you also obtained a Doctor of Philosophy In Christian Counseling Psychology and during the course of investigation, it was discovered that your assertion on oath were not correct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section PHC/3117/CR/2022 117 and punishable under Section118 of the Criminal Code Law, Vol. 2, Cap 37 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.

COUNT FOUR: That you Prof Jasper F. Jumbo M on or about 21^st day of January, 2019 at Rivers State High Court of Justice within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with the intention to mislead the Court knowingly, gave false testimony on Oath before the High Court of Justice of Rivers State, Bori judicial Division, in SUIT NO. BHC/88/2014: DAGOGO JUMBO & CO. NIG LTD VS. SE-ALABO HORACE F. H. JUMBO & 9 ORS., wherein you deposed to an Affidavit on oath stating that you are a Professor of Counseling Psychology of the Evangel Christian University of America, African Campus and which deposition during the course of investigation was discovered to be false or was not correct and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 117 and punishable under Section 118 of the Criminal Code Law, Vol. 2, Cap 37 Laws of Rivers State of Nigeria, 1999.”

After listening to arguments by both counsels on the oral application for bail by Nwufo, SAN for his client, Justice Orji granted bail to Jasper Jumbo, whose claim of Professorship is currently a subject of criminal prosecution also by the IGP at a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt.

The case was subsequently adjourned to January 17 and 31, 2023 for accelerated hearing.

Speaking with Journalists after the court sitting, the prosecution counsel, Adams Ugwuanyi expressed the hope that the defendant would be jailed as, according to him, the Police had done adequate due diligence on the charges being preferred against him before arraigning him in court.

“The business of the day was the arraignment of Prof Jasper F. Jumbo and for the defendant to take his plea whether he is guilty or not guilty to the charges against him.”

“There are actually four count charges against him and they all border on forgery, impersonation, and stuff like that; swearing to an affidavit of what he is not, making statements before an open court that are blatant lies. So, those are the allegations against him. So, he took his plea, he pleaded not guilty to all the four count charges.”

“What happened was that the defendant’s counsel applied for his bail. He served the prosecution the application for his bail today and actually it is supposed to be two days for us to be able to reply. But in the interest of justice the court obliged him to make an oral application for bail.”

Ugwuanyi stated that the objection by the prosecution was based on the fears that Jasper Jumbo may abscond from trial if granted bail as the prosecution was sure it had done its due diligence in unearthing the facts related to the charges brought against the defendant, informing that the presiding judge, however, went ahead to grant the defendant bail based on other considerations.

“We opposed that application, telling the court our fears that the man may interfere with investigation and given that the terms of the sentence is up to 14 years is enough to scare a defendant and make him to run from trial.”

“So, those are the concerns we presented to the court but the court in its wisdom decided to grant bail. Of course, court doesn’t know much about the defendant. So, court is looking at him as being innocent but we on the other side that investigated him and brought him to the court, we know what he is capable of doing.”

“So, the court granted him bail and court considered the fact that in another charge before a Federal High Court he was granted bail also on self-cognizance, so, the court also granted him bail on self-cognizance. And that was the business of the day.”

On his part, counsel to the defendant, Kelvin Nwufo declined making statements, saying he would rather wait for when the trial begins.