ENUGU
— THE silent war between Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, widow of the late
Ikemba Nnewi, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Directors of Ojukwu
Transport Limited, OTL, who are brothers of her late spouse, has blown open as
both parties have dragged themselves before High Courts of Lagos state to
determine who controls the landed property belonging to the company.
This
came even as the family had concluded plans to mark the first anniversary of
Ojukwu’s death at Nnewi today. The former Biafran warlord died on
November 26, 2011 at aLondonhospital at the age of 78.
Crisis
had been brewing between Mrs. Ojukwu and her late husband’s brothers over the
control of some property which were left by their late father, Eze Odumegwu
Ojukwu, under his company’s name, OTL, for decades. The late Ikemba Nnewi
was one of the directors of the company and apart from living in one of the
property at Ikoyi which he vacated and relocated toEnuguover 10 years ago,
Ojukwu was also involved in managing some of the property.
These
property which were at a time compulsorily acquired by the Federal Government
were later released to OTL and the late Dim Ojukwu continued to manage some of
them until his demise last year.
The
property in contention
The
property include those situated at 58, Ibadan Street, Ebute Metta, Yaba, Lagos;
29, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos where Ojukwu once resided, 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.
After
the death of Ojukwu, the Ojukwu Transport Limited was left with six directors
namely Professor Joseph Ojukwu, Engr. Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu,
Dr. Patrick Ojukwu, Arc. Edward Ojukwu and Lota Akajiora Ojukwu while an Estate
Management Consultant, Mr. Massey Udegbe of Massey Udegbe & Company was
appointed by the directors to manage the property.
Bianca
goes to court
However,
in a suit number LD/1539/12 filed at the Lagos High Court on October 9, 2012,
Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu’s two sons, Afemefuna and Nwachukwu Ojukwu, claimed that
they were entitled to the possession of 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).”
They
urged the court to declare that the forceful ejection of the claimants from the
said property was illegal just as they also asked the court to declare that
they were entitled to the possession of 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 they claimed, had
been under the possession of their late father.
Mrs.
Ojukwu, who sued on behalf her two sons, further sought an order of the court
to restrain the defendants or their agents from interfering with the
“Claimants’ possession and control of 29, Oyinka Abayomi Street (formerly
Queens Drive) Ikoyi, Lagos” as well as the aforementioned four property also
situated in Lagos.
…OTL,
too
But
in a twist, the OTL filed a fresh suit number LD/1680/2012 on November 1, 2012
also before a Lagos High Court against Mrs. Ojukwu, claiming possession of 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.
In
addition, the OTL demanded the payment of N100 million as damages from Mrs.
Ojukwu as well as 21 per cent interest on the accrued sum until judgment was
given and five per cent until the entire sum was fully liquidated.
In
a 15-paragraph statement of claim brought by its counsel, Ifeanyi Okumah, OTL
claimed ownership of the property at 29, Queens Drive, Ikoyi, Lagos, explaining
that its agent appointed managing agent had asked Mrs. Ojukwu to handover
physical possession of the property to him but she refused.
The
company said despite disclaimers published in some national dailies warning the
general public to deal with the managing agent appointed by it, Mr. Massey
Udegbe and subsequent letters to the occupiers of the property to vacate and
hand over the keys to the owner (OTL) or its agent, the defendant (Bianca)
refused to hand over the property, a development that has denied the company
N40 million rent it would have collected on the said property.
Tenants
in confusion
Following
the two legal actions, some tenants of the said property were thrown into
confusion as to who to pay their rents and this prompted one of the occupants
of 30, Gerrard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, West Africa Offshore Limited to drag Mr.
Emmanuel Omuojine, the managing agent appointed by the late Ojukwu, Mr. Massey
Udegbe, who was appointed managing agent by OTL and the company (OTL) itself
before the Lagos High court.
The
company which claimed to have paid N40 million to Mr. Omuojine on behalf of OTL
as five-year tenancy in 2007, sought an order of the court directing the
payment of N24 million representing two years rent from March 16, 2012 to
March 15, 2014 in respect of the said property and for same to be lodged into
an interest yielding account in the name of the Chief Registrar of the High
Court pending the resolution of the disputes between the parties.
By
the new development, both Mrs. Ojukwu and the directors of OTL, would have to
wait for the determination of the various suits on the contentious property
before they could further benefit from them.
Meanwhile,
the first anniversary is expected to be observed at Ojukwu’s family
compound at Nnewi today though the family members are at loggerheads over who
controls the property left behind by their late multi-millionaire father, Sir
Louis Philip Odumegwu Ojukwu who died in 1966.
Source:
Vanguard
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