Ojukwu family to meet over will

late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu

The family of Odumegwu-Ojukwu will soon meet to take a decision on the Will of their brother, late Chief Emeka Ojukwu, which was read on Friday at the Enugu High Court.

One of the senior members of the family, and a younger brother of the late Ikemba, Mr. Ude Ojukwu, a lawyer who lives at Nnewi, Anambra State, told SUNDAY PUNCH that the family was angry at the circumstances surrounding the reading of the will.

The junior Ojukwu, who did not want to go into the details or merit of the will, said the family was shocked that the will of their brother was read without the knowledge and presence of the head of the family, Prof. Joseph Ojukwu, and the children of the deceased.

He said, “I don’t think circumstances of the reading of that will were right. I don’t understand it.

“How can the will of Ikemba be read before his wife, Bianca, and two so-called lawyers without the members of the family?

“Prof. Ojukwu was not there; Engineer Ojukwu was not there, Barrister Ojukwu was not there. Emeka, his son was not there, and even the other young children who should benefit from the will; none of them was there.

“We will meet to take a decision on it.”

He did not say how soon the meeting will hold or where it will take place.

The will had bequeathed all the assets of the late Ikemba to his last wife, Bianca and one hotel in Kaduna to Tenny Haman, a previously unknown daughter of the deceased.

Bianca was mostly favoured when the will of the ex-Biafran leader was read by the Chief Registrar, Enugu Judiciary and probate registrar, Mr. Dennis Ekoh.

The name of Ojukwu’s first son, Sylvester, was conspicuously omitted from the list of his children.

Emeka got only a property in Nnewi as his entitlement.

Bianca, Emeka Ojukwu and James Chukwuneme were listed as trustees and executors of the will, while the names of late Ojukwu’s children were next. The deceased stated that only those listed as his children in the will, and no other person, should be regarded as his children.

Those listed as his children were Tenny Haman, Ojukwu, Mmegha, Okigbo, Ebele, Chineme, Afam, and Nwachukwu.

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