The cold war between the widow of the late Ikemba Nnewi, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, and Directors of Ojukwu Transport Limited, OTL, who are brothers of her late spouse, has taken a new direction as the rival parties have gone to court over the matter. Both disagreed parties have dragged the case to the High Courts of Lagos state in their individual quest to control Ojukwu’s sweat.
Ironically, Ojukwu’s one-year anniversary is to be marked at Nnewi today. It is exactly one year since the former warlord bowed out of ‘stage’. He died on November 26, 2011 at a London hospital at the age of 78.
It would be recalled that Bianca has been at loggerhead with her late husband’s brothers over the control of some property, which were left for the family by Ojukwu’s father, Eze Odumegwu Ojukwu, under his company’s name, OTL, for over ten years. As one of the sons of Eze Odumegwu, the late Ikemba Nnewi became one of the directors of the company and got involved in managing some of the property.
The property that were at some point acquired by the Federal government were later left for Ojukwu to manage on behalf of his late father, and he has been in charge until his demise last year.
The property in contention include those located at 58, Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Yaba, Lagos; 29, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos where Ojukwu had lived before, 41 Macpherson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, 14 Probyn Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, 2A and 2B Park Close, Apapa, Lagos, 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos, Nnewi Building, 1/3 Creek Close, Apapa, Lagos, 120 Agege Motor Road, Mushin, Lagos, 4A and 4B Park Close, Apapa, Lagos, 196 Igbosere Road, Lagos, 15 Oshodi Street, Lagos and 15/16 Forces Avenue, Port Harcourt.
Ojukwu’s death left his Transport Limited in the hands of six directors namely, Professor Joseph Ojukwu, Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu, Dr. Patrick Ojukwu, Arc. Edward Ojukwu and Lota Akajiora Ojukwu .
However, displeased over the current situation, Bianca has filed a suit demanding that her husband’s property be left in her hands and that of her children. In a suit number LD/1539/12 filed at the Lagos High Court on October 9, 2012, the former Miss Nigeria and wife of the late warlord had on behalf of her two sons, Afemefuna and Nwachukwu Ojukwu, demanded to be handed over the property known as 29, Oyinka Abayomi Street formerly 29, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos “until the harmonization of the management and administration of the assets of the 1st Defendant (OTL).”
Bianca in the suit had asked the court to declare that the forceful ejection of her and her children from the said property infringes on their rights, even as she had demanded that “the property known as 13, Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; 32A, Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; 30, Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos and 4, Macpherson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos, which had been under the control of their late father be given back to them.
On the contrary, the OTL filed another suit at the Lagos High Court, claiming the right of ownership on the same property Mrs. Ojukwu is out to reclaim. In a suit number LD/1680/2012 on November 1, 2012, OTL had demanded that the property “ known as 29, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos which comprised two-storey detached house in addition to the payment of N40 million being expected rentable value per annum of the said premises from September 27, 2012, until the defendant gives up possession of the property be given to them”
OTL had also asked for the payment of N100 million as compensations from Mrs. Ojukwu as well as 21 per cent interest on the accumulated sum until verdict was passed on the case and ” five per cent until the entire sum was fully liquidated”.
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