By Innocent Anaba

An Edo State High Court sitting in Benin has dismissed the libel suit by deposed Aidonogie of South-Ibie clan, Alhaji Aliyu Danesi, against some prominent sons of South-Ibie, Estako West Local Government Area of Edo State.

Trial judge, Justice E. Ikponmwen, in his judgment, held that Danesi was in contempt of the Court of Appeal judgment deposing him as the Aidonogie of South-Ibie, as he (Danesi) in the suit claimed that he was the Aidonogie, in clear disregard to the appellate court’s decision.

Defendants in the suit were Prof I. Bello-Iman, Chief Shaibu Imogore, Chief Dirisu Ekhalefo, Chief Zubiri Momodu and Alhaji Jafaru Saliu.

Danesi had in the suit claimed that the defendants libeled him by petitioning the state Police Commissioner, accusing him (Danesi) of hiring assassins to go after certain persons.

The court, in its judgment, said: “In the case at hand, the order of the Court of Appeal is that the claimant is not the Aidonogie of South-Ibie and by his claim before this Court, he is defying the court by stating the contrary.

“Does he deserve an audience? In my humble view he does not.

“That he got this far with his case is alarming. The claimant’s conduct is worth contempt is facie curie and this Court has inherent power to punish or commit a person for contempt of the Court in facie curie summarily and brevi manu.

“This is to preserve and maintain the dignity of the court. The court is entitled to deal with the contempt in the face of the Court as I have a plethora of evidence before me of what has transpired in this case with claimants even in his evidence, bragging with a title that a Court of Appeal has said does not belong to him.

“In as much as the court has inadvertently given the claimant audience when the Supreme Court says he should not be granted audience, by extension this judgment would not be delivered where the claimant has deliberately flouted the order of the Court of Appeal by describing himself as the Aidonogie of South-Ibie.

“The claimant started his case on that introductory note and it is offensive, contemptuous and cannot be proceeded with. The offence of contempt of court is sui generis.

“Consequently, no matter how meritorious the claimant’s case may be, he must cease to have an audience before me albeit at this judgment stage.

“His case is incompetent and must be dismissed. Consequently it is ordered that any subsequent processes filed unto court in respect of this order for dismissal must not bear that acronym, HRH.

“The claimant must not describe himself as the Aidonogie of South-Ibie. In my view this is sufficient punishment for claimant’s obvious contempt facie curie. Case is accordingly ordered dismissed.”