A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has set aside a consent judgment allegedly fraudulently obtained by the duo of Jasper Jumbo and the Obenibe of Epie Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Malla Sasime, in suit number, PHC/4086/2021.

Delivering judgment in suit number: PHC/4086/2019, the presiding judge, Justice Lemea Ngbor-Abina set aside the consent judgment and also laid to rest the contentious issue of a purported perpetual power of attorney being bandied about by Jasper Jumbo.

The claimant in the suit is the Obenibe of Epie Kingdom, His Royal Majesty, King Malla Sasime, while the defendant is Jasper Jumbo and Polaris Bank; the applicants for joinder are Robert Jumbo, Michael Orumbie, Simeon Igwe Jumbo, Innocent Dibiobuma Jumbo, Humphrey Jumbo, and Hamlet Jumbo.

The applicants, who are members of the Jumbo Major House Council of Elders, are representing themselves and majority of the heads of burusu (family units and sub-houses) that comprise the Jumbo Major House in Bonny Kingdom.

In the said suit, Julius Emelike led the team that appeared for Jasper Jumbo, A. S. Abdulkadiri for the Jumbo Major House Council of Elders, Uzoma Azogu for King Malla Sasime, while Emeka Etiaba, SAN represented Polaris Bank.

In the well-considered and far-reaching landmark judgement delivered on Monday, March 4, 2024, Justice Ngbor-Abina held that Jasper Jumbo does not possess the educational qualification be a Reservoir Analyst, as claimed by him.

She stressed that he consequently does not also possess the requisite educational qualifications to carry out the functions and duties spelt out in the said power of attorney.

The judge further held that evidence before the court shows that the signature of the now demised Secretary of the Jumbo Major House, late Warisenibo Henderson Jumbo was forged in the said Terms of Settlement which was used by Jasper Jumbo and his cohorts to deceive the court to obtain the said consent judgment.

Recall that the fraudulently obtained consent judgment was the instrument with which Jasper Jumbo and Asai Jumbo transferred the sum of N246,000.000.00 from the account of the Jumbo Major House domiciled in Polaris Bank to the bank account of King Sasime.

The duo criminally agreed between them to retain a balance of N123,000,000.00 for themselves and their cohort, the Epie traditional ruler.

With this landmark judgment, it appears the coast is clear now for an accelerated prosecution of Jasper Jumbo and Asai Jumbo for the stealing of humongous sums from the Jumbo Major House bank accounts by the Inspector General of Police, which case is ongoing in the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

There are indications too that the prosecution of Jasper Jumbo for forgery of the signature of the erstwhile Secretary of Jumbo Major House, late Henderson Jumbo will also receive full attention consequent upon this judgment.