The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Bianca Ojukwu

  • Ojukwu’s Estate: judge disqualifies self

    Justice Adebayo Oyebanji of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, on Thursday disqualified herself from a case brought against the widow of the late Biafran warlord, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, Bianca and others by one Debe Ojukwu.

    Oyebanji , who said the matter ought not to have followed her to the court, where she was posted by the state Chief Judge, Justice Ayotunde Philips, told parties that it will be re-assigned to another judge.

    The judge made the announcement when the suit was called and the claimant (Debe) stood up to announce his appearance.

    “I have observed that this matter was assigned to this court.

    “It was before the creation of the fast track division. The registrar should not have brought this case to this court.

    “It will go to the fast track because case management conference (CMC) has not commenced. I will only minute on it and then give a date and ask the registrar to take the case file to the office of the assigning judge,” Justice Oyebanji said.

    The judge subsequently adjourned the case to March 3 for mention.

    Joined as defendants in the suit are – Prof.Joseph Ojukwu, Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Ojukwu, Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Patrick Ojukwu and Mrs. Margarete Nwagbo-Ojukwu.

    The Ojukwus have been enmeshed in legal tussle since the demise of the late Biafran warlord over property he left behind, as well as the claims by Debe Ojukwu that he is a legitimate first son of the deceased.

    Debe, who claimed that the company he administers on behalf of the family sponsored Ojukwu’s burial with about N100 million, stated that the family members deprived him of his right as the first son during his father’s burial.

     

  • Ojukwu: Court strikes out son’s suit against siblings

    Ojukwu: Court strikes out son’s suit against siblings

    A Federal High Court in Lagos on Friday struck out a suit filed by Chief Debe Ojukwu over alleged breach of his fundamental human rights by his siblings.
    The applicant, who averred that he is the eldest son of the late Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu, had filed the suit on October 5, 2012 to enforce his rights.
    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that he sought an order to restrain them from threatening his life and asked for N100 million as exemplary damages.
    Joined in the suit as respondents are – Prof. Joseph Ojukwu, Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Ojukwu, Bianca Ojukwu, wife of Ojukwu; Patrick Ojukwu, Patricia Ojukwu and Margaret Ojukwu.
    Others are the Inspector General of Police, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Muktar and Deputy Commissioner of Police in Anambra, Mr. Mike Okoli.
    Delivering his judgment on Friday, Justice Okon Abang struck out the suit on the grounds that the court lacked jurisdiction to entertain it.
    The judge held that the suit was liable to be struck out as it did not follow the procedure.
    “The applicant should not have brought this suit under the Fundamental Rights Enforcement Procedure Rules, but as a proper action.
    “In the circumstance, this court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the suit. The case is accordingly struck out for want of jurisdiction with no order as to cost, I so hold,” Abang said.
    NAN reports that Ojukwu had in an affidavit averred that since his birth as the first son of the late Ojukwu, he had been unfairly treated by his family.
    According to him, the respondents had invited him to come and oversee Ojukwu Transport Company owned by their late father.
    He stated that he managed the company effectively until the death of his father when things began to fall apart for him.
    The applicant said he was suddenly informed by the respondents to hands off the company.

  • Ojukwu’s family to Bianca: Bring proof of marriage to late warlord

    Ojukwu’s family to Bianca: Bring proof of marriage to late warlord

    As the tussle over ownership of late Chief Odimegwu Ojukwu’s transport company and his estate rages, some members of the late warlord’s family have asked his wife – Mrs. Bianca Ojukwu, Nigeria’s Ambassador to Spain, to provide evidence of legal marriage to him.

    The Ojukwu brothers along with Ojukwu Transport Limited, in a 19 paragraph statement of defence filed before Justice Funmilayo Atilade of a Lagos High Court, also demanded proof that Bianca’s two sons, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu are biological children of the late warlord.

    Bianca had on behalf of her sons, dragged Prof. Joseph Ojukwu; Emmanuel Ojukwu; Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu; Dr. Patrick Ojukwu; Edward Ojukwu; Lota Akajiora Ojukwu and Mrs. Massey Udegbe before the court, seeking a declaration that her children are entitled to the possession and occupation of 29, Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of OTL.

    Bianca had through her lawyer, Chris Ezugwu, prayed the court to declare as illegal the threat of forceful ejection of her sons from the property in dispute by the defendants.

    She had urged the court to declare that they are entitled to possess 13, Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now 13 Ojora Road); 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, and 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.

    Bianca had stated that the defendants played no role all through the period her sons’ father (Ojukwu) struggled to retrieve the above properties from the state government.

    Hence, the claimants want an order of court restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from interfering with their possession and control of the properties.

    But the defendants through their lawyer, George Uwechue (SAN) averred that the subscribers of the Memorandum of Association of OTL (1st defendant) at incorporation in 1952 were L.P Ojukwu and Betram Chukwuemeka Obi, adding that the late Ojukwu and one Prof. Joseph Ojukwu (2nd defendant) were later appointed as directors in 1953.

    They stated that the late Ojukwu ceased to be a director of the company prior to the Nigerian civil war and was reappointed as a director on December 16, 2005 while the third and fourth defendants were appointed directors in 1954 and 2005 respectively.

     

     

     

  • Nigerians drowned en route Spain – Bianca Ojukwu

    Nigerians drowned en route Spain – Bianca Ojukwu

    Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain, Bianca Ojukwu, has decried the increasing number of Nigerians who got drowned trying to cross the ocean to Spain for greener pastures.

    Ojukwu said this on Wednesday at a colloquium on ”The State of the Nation: The Way Forward,’’ organised by the Campaign for Democracy, South-East region, in Onitsha, Anambra.

    She expressed regrets that many Nigerians, especially from the South-East, struggled to enter the European nation but had no understanding that it was not better off than Nigeria.

    “As an ambassador to Spain you come face to face with the trouble people are going through.

    “I am sad that because things are not going on well in Nigeria the way they should people now board ships to Spain and on their way get drowned,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the envoy at the forum..

    Ojukwu, however, urged both the Federal and state governments to create the enabling environment to help curtail the rush to travel abroad.

    On the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and Spain, she said it was very cordial.

    “Nigeria has signed a lot of Memoranda of Understanding with Spain on various areas, which included cultural cooperation, education, transportation and infrastructure,” she stated.

     

  • Ojukwu: Bianca to get court processes in Spain

    Ojukwu: Bianca to get court processes in Spain

    Justice Adebayo Oyebanji of a Lagos High Court, Igbosere, on Wednesday ordered that Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu, wife of the late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, be served originating processes through the Nigerian Embassy in Spain.

    She gave the order in a suit filed by a lawyer, one Chief Debe Odumegwu-Ojukwu, which is one of several others pending before different judges over the inheritance of Ojukwu’s properties.

    Joint with Bianca in this suit are Ojukwu Transport Limited, (OTL); Prof. Joseph Ojukwu; Emmanuel Ojukwu; Lotanna Ojukwu; Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu; Patricia Ojuwku and Mrs. Margaret Nwagbo (Nee Ojukwu).

    Oyebanji had at the last adjourned date, ordered that Bianca be served through a national newspaper publication, since the claimant could not serve her in person as a result of her current assignment as Nigeria’s ambassador to Spain.

    At the resumed hearing on Wednesday, the claimant told the court that the cost of placing an advertisement on a national newspaper was high and will affect his already weakened finances.

    Debe, who appeared in person and on behalf of the second claimant, Silver Convention Nigeria Limited, said he has filed an exparte motion dated March 27, for a varying order in respect of full and effective service on Bianca.

    He urged the court to grant him an enabling order to serve Bianca either through the Foreign Affairs Ministry or by courier to the country’s embassy in Spain.