•Says she was not legally married
By Tunde Opeseitan/Lagos
The late Ojukwu
Some aggrieved members of the Ojukwu family on Wednesday challenged Nigeria's Ambassador to Spain, Bianca Ojukwu, to prove to the world that the late Ikemba Nnewi, Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu, was the biological father of her two sons – Afamefuna and Nwachukwu.
The family members, in a 19-paragraph statement of defence before a Lagos High Court sitting in Igbosere, also challenged Bianca to prove, if she has any, that she was legally married to the late Ojukwu.
The statement of defence was filed by Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL) and seven others before Justice Funmilayo Atilade in response to a suit filed by Bianca on behalf of her two children.
Other defendants in the suit are Prof Joseph Ojukwu, Engr Emmanuel Ojukwu, Lotanna Putalora Ojukwu, Dr Patrick Ojukwu, Arc Edward Ojukwu, Lota Akajiora Ojukwu and Mrs Massey
Udegbe (doing business
under Massey Udegbe & Company).
Bianca, in the suit with reference number LD/1539/2012, which she filed on behalf of her two under-aged children (Afamefuna and Nwachukwu), had sought an order of court declaring that they (children) are entitled to the possession and occupation of the property known as No 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, until the harmonisation of the management and administration of the assets of the first defendant, OTL.
When the matter came up on Wednesday, counsel to Bianca and her children was not in court, a development which necessitated Justice Atilade to adjourn the suit till December 10 for adoption of written addresses on a motion on notice seeking to restrain the defendants from the property in dispute.
According to the suit filed on behalf of the claimant by Chris Ezugwu, Bianca's children are praying the court to declare as illegal, the threat of forceful ejection from 29, Oyinkan Abayomi Street, Ikoyi, by the defendants.
In addition, they urged the court to declare that they were entitled to possess the following property: No. 13 Hawksworth Road, Ikoyi (now known as No. 13 Ojora Road); No. 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, Lagos; No. 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, Lagos; No. 30 McPherson Avenue, Ikoyi.
Bianca's children stated that throughout the period their father was struggling to retrieve the properties from the government, the second to seventh defendants "never played any role in the struggle nor contributed financially or otherwise to the realisation of the struggle."
Besides, the claimant is asking for an order of court restraining the defendants, their agents or privies from interfering with the claimants' possession and control of the properties.
But, in their statement of defence, the defendants through their lawyer, George Uwechue (SAN) averred that the subscribers of the memorandum of association of OTL at incorporation in 1952 were LP Ojukwu and Betram Chukwuemeka Obi, adding that the late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu and one Professor Joseph Ojukwu were later appointed as directors in 1953.
They stated that late Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu thereafter 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.
They added that the claimants' statement of claim contained tissues of lies and distorted facts alleging that Bianca who instituted the suit, "being greedy" felt that she could hold on to the company's properties.
