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 a London hospital 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 to Enugu over
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