As the cloud of sorrow, pain and a searing sense of loss becloud the Dan-Jumbo Chieftaincy House and Bonny Kingdom in general, over the unfortunate demise of a certain Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo inside the gas liquefaction plant of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) in Bonny, Rivers State, conversations around corporate responsibility in workplace health and safety and workers welfare have been trending on different fora.
In this insightful and incisive interview with Kristina Reports’ Correspondent, Promise Tambari, the Chief and Head of the Dan-Jumbo House, Se-Alabo Reverend Clinton Ibiwari Gibson Dan-Jumbo, Jene IV, x-rayed the issues around the incident that led to the unfortunate death of the younger Dan-Jumbo, the responsibility of the corporates involved, NLNG and Candix Engineering Nigeria Limited, as well offers advice on how to navigate workplace environments to avoid fatalities. Enjoy the read!
Kristina Reports: Recently, we learnt about the death of a son of Dan-Jumbo House of Bonny Kingdom, Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo, one of the casualties on the NLNG facility, have you been availed the details of what that led to his untimely demise?
Se-Alabo Dan-Jumbo: First, I would like to say the death of Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo is indeed sad, not only for the Dan-Jumbo House, but for the Kingdom at large. From available information, Mr. Emmanuel was a resource person, who undertook training of Bonny Youths. So, it is a Kingdom loss. Sadly, there has been no official statement about what really happened from his employer, Candix Engineering Nigeria Limited, a company undertaking work for NLNG. However, a letter from NLNG lawyers, Providence Chambers, dated 10th April 2026, suggests that Mr. Emmanuel “was carrying out duties lawfully assigned to him by his employers in the ordinary course of his employment when the unfortunate incident occurred”. How the unfortunate incident occurred, I believe is what NLNG has referred to as ongoing investigation. But for me this information from the NLNG lawyers is the most important piece of information. It means he was not there working illegally.
Do you know if an autopsy has been carried out? And if not why?
An autopsy has not been undertaken, the reason is that the family only recently consented to an autopsy and that information was only passed on to NLNG on the 30th of March through the Dan-Jumbo House lawyers, Deeds Chambers, who are representing the family.
Se-Alabo, talking about Deeds Chambers and in relation to the death of Mr Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo, we are aware that recently lawyers from Deeds Chambers accused NLNG of abdicating responsibility to a third party. What do you have to say about this?
That is the truth, the same letter from NLNG lawyers, Providence Chambers, I referenced above expressly stated that Candix “is an independent contractor and not an agent of NLNG”. The letter goes on to state that Deeds Chambers “attempt, under any guise, to foist liability on our client … is wholly misconceived, legally untenable and fundamentally flawed both in fact and law.” By saying this to the family of late Mr Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo, NLNG, through their lawyers have just said in very clear terms to every Bonny son or daughter and generally to all Nigerians working for companies that undertake work for them that, don’t think for a moment that because you work in our premises, we owe you a duty of care.
You see, I am not NLNG‘s lawyer, neither am I one of their contractors or on their pay roll, so I will be able to look at their controlling minds in the face and tell them the truth. Besides, this area of the Law is my baby, I saw the evolution of negligence to corporate manslaughter in England and I even wrote my Master of Law thesis on the Corporate Manslaughter Bill months before it was passed into law in the United Kingdom. Even within the Nigerian jurisprudence I have seen progress that has been made in this area of the law. I honestly do not want this matter to go to court as I see NLNG as a corporate citizen of Bonny, who are partners in the development of this kingdom. Interestingly, the development of the Kingdom includes its human resources, when we lose one person our development suffers a setback, because we cannot tell the value that one life would have added to our society.
Coming back to the applicable legal framework on workplace fatalities in Nigeria, this is engaged via criminal law, statutory safety duties, and civil liability, with the following Key laws: Factories Act, Cap F1, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004; Employees’ Compensation Act (ECA) 2010; Labour Act, Cap L1 LFN 2004; Occupiers’ Liability principles (Common Law); Criminal Code / Penal Code (depending on jurisdiction); and Negligence under Nigerian Common Law. Nigeria does not yet have a dedicated “corporate manslaughter” statute like we do in the UK, but deaths can still attract criminal liability through negligence provisions.
In the light of applicable laws of Nigeria, if this matter gets to Court, which I reiterate that I do not want, the Dan-Jumbo House legal team would most likely advocate that Candix and NLNG are jointly and concurrently liable for the death of Mr. Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo. This is because, Candix has a statutory duty under the Factories Act. Although Candix is a contractor, it is still an employer under Nigerian law, so Candix naturally owes a statutory duty to Mr. Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo. Secondly, under Sections 7 to 9 of the Employee Compensation Act (ECA) 2010, where an employee dies, the employer is strictly liable to pay compensation, the law goes on to state that fault does not need to be proven. Again, under this law, Candix is liable, and it does not matter whether Mr. Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo failed to use safety gear or not. Interestingly, this argument has been put to the court before and has always been thrown out, especially, as most companies believe they can tell lies against the dead man, who, unfortunately, cannot defend himself. So, the Court’s position is, it does not matter, you are liable.
Now, coming to NLNG’s liability, under the common law principle of Occupiers’ Liability, which was one of the principles adopted into Nigeria via the received English law and now phrased Nigerian common law, an occupier of premises owes a duty to ensure that lawful visitors (including contractors) are reasonably safe. NLNG, regardless of what their lawyers have said owe every Nigerian working in its premises this duty. Again, under the Factories Act duty to Non‑Employees, clearly NLNG’s premises qualify as a factory or industrial undertaking, as such Section 23 of the Factories Act imposes a duty on NLNG to ensure safety of all persons lawfully on site.
As a matter of fact, the 2018 case of ELF Petroleum Nigeria Ltd v. Mona Youssefian & Ors (2018) LPELR‑46751(CA), firmly established this principle, because, in that case, Elf put forward the same argument NLNG is putting on now until the Court including the Court of Appeal ruled it was liable.Therefore, the question to be determined in Court is whether they failed in this duty. This is the reason; our family lawyers would ignore NLNG lawyers and focus on counting 28 days to go to Court should this matter not be resolved. It was very important we gave NLNG the opportunity to engage within 28 days, but if they feel, like their lawyers have said that they have nothing to do with Mr. Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo, that will be for the Court to decide whether section 23 of the Factories Act apply to NLNG or not. Afterall, there is a core Nigerian legal principle that states that “Whoever controls the premises or the risk bears responsibility for its consequences.” We are hopeful that the court would hold that NLNG is therefore liable.
There have been instances where companies shirk responsibility in cases where staff are involved in fatalities in the past, how is this any different?
Honestly, I am not aware of any previous incident in the past in Bonny Kingdom, I was actively involved in the base project as Secretary General of Bonny Youths Federation and at another time as a member of the Caretaker Committee of Bonny Local Government Area. And in my time, I worked closely with the multinationals and very decent human beings in NLNG at the time as I am sure we still have them now, to ensure that injustices of any kind against Bonny people and other Nigerians were largely addressed. As you and most Bonny people may know, I left the country for my studies abroad shortly after my tenure in Bonny Local Government and was not abreast with most of the happenings until very recently when I returned to run my great-grandfather’s House as Chief and Head of the Dan-Jumbo House. You will, therefore, agree with me that I was not conversant with most of the happenings in my absence in Bonny Kingdom. However, the main reason I went to study law is because I hate injustice. I shall therefore not rest until I get justice for late Mr Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo and his family. The same applies to any Bonny son or daughter. The reason I am a Country Chief of Bonny Kingdom is to see all Bonny people as my responsibility, and I should be able to support all Bonny people regardless of which House they are from. That is the reason Bonny Country Chiefs are referred to as Se-Alapu. In other words, the entirety of Bonny, not just our individual Houses becomes our constituency. As a matter of fact, when I received a call from NLNG about the death of Mr Emmanuel, they first informed me they were not sure if he was Jumbo or Dan-Jumbo, and I told them it did not matter whether he is Jumbo or Dan-Jumbo I am getting involved. I see myself as a Chief of Bonny Kingdom not just that of Dan-Jumbo House, so the pain of that Bonny man in trouble, should be my pain.
Se-Alabo, what if NLNG decides to drag this matter all the way to the Supreme Court. You know they have the resources and late Mr. Emmanuel’s family may be desperate to get financial support?
That will not be in the best interest of NLNG, neither will it be in the interest of late Mr Emmanuel’s family. In the first place, if NLNG, as a corporate citizen of this Kingdom, allows this matter of a dead Bonny youth to go to Court, it is a huge stain on NLNG in this Kingdom and it will create a gulf, may be not so much, but the gulf will certainly be there. Secondly, if shamefully, this matter lands in Court and NLNG decides to drag it on, we shall go all the way with them, but the negative publicity will be a huge loss for them, especially as the amount of money they would expend on their SAN would be more than enough to settle the poor family of late Mr Emmanuel.
Also remember, I have a voice at the international arena as an ordained clergy of the Church of England and the global Anglican Communion. I cannot guarantee that I will not use that voice. Finally, concerning the financial standing of late Mr Emmanuel’s family – his aged mother, wife and children. They are the property of the Dan-Jumbo House, and by the special grace of God the House shall sustain them until this matter is over; even if it takes 30 years.
We hear that the Company Candix has made its offer. Can you confirm this?
Yes, I can confirm that the Company Candix has made its offer to the family; and we thank them for being honourable. However, we have decided to reject the offer and make a counter offer. We shall be waiting for NLNG to make its offer, now that their lawyers have expressly stated that the contractor is not their agent, we are dealing with Candix on its own and expecting NLNG to do the right thing.
The late Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo is not just your subject but a bonafide son of Bonny Kingdom, what do you advise should be the template for handling issues like this that involve Bonny’s sons and daughters, especially, in the face of stories of all sorts of mistreatment and marginalization against Bonny indigenes across project sites in Bonny?
I believe issues bothering on mistreatment and marginalization of Bonny indigenes, must first be reported to the House Chief of the victim or any other Chief of the Kingdom, especially where the victim’s House does not have a Chief. I grew up to see people from other Houses bringing matters before my grandfather. That is our practice, and it has not changed.
To avoid getting caught in situations such as this that sometimes end in fatalities, what do you advise Bonny Kingdom’s sons and daughters as to how to conduct themselves while working at the site?
My candid advise to all Bonny indigenous workers on the NLNG site is, adhere strictly to the safety protocols of your individual companies, including those put in place by NLNG, as I am very sure late Mr Emmanuel Dan-Jumbo did and if anything goes wrong God forbid, we are here as Chiefs of the Kingdom to stand by you and your family just like I am doing for late Mr Emmanuel and his family.