A fresh twist has been added to the story of Mrs Ijeoma Igwe, the widow whose in-laws chased out of her matrimonial home after the death of her husband, late James Chidiebere Igwe, beaten and maltreated to the point of having a stroke. Three different agencies of the Lagos State government, Office of the Administrator General and Public Trustee, Office of the Public Defender(OPD), and Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency have moved against the Igwe brothers, Joseph and Paul who seems to be on the run and evading state officials....For More READ THE FULL STORY▶▶
On September 12, 2024, officials of the Administrator-General office sealed off the Igwe house at Ayobo, where the widow was chased out last year. OPD under the leadership of its Director, Mrs Bunmi Adesomoju has instituted an action before a Yaba Magistrate Family Court seeking to bring in Ijeoma’s daughters seized by the Igwes, Chiamaka, Precious, and Gift, under the protection of their mother and a supervision order provided pursuant to the relevant sections of the Child Right Law of Lagos State(2015). In the same vein, the State Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency has petitioned Lagos State Commissioner of Police to investigate the brutal violence meted to Ijeoma by the Igwe brothers with a view to bringing them to Justice.
Notice of the Office of the Administrator-General and Public Trustee sealing off the Igwe House at 60, Adedigba Amosan Street, Ayobo, Lagos on September 12, 2024
The Administrator-General decided to seal off the house located 60, Adedigba Amosan Street, Ayobo, Lagos after Joseph and Paul Igwe refused severally to honor its invitation. The first letter written by the office dated April 5, 2025 inviting the Igwe brothers was signed by an Assistant Director, Oluremi Kuku. This is despite the fact that officials personally served them letters of invitation which they refused to honor. The letter reads: “The Office of Administrator-General and Public Trustee is a statutory office established under the law of Lagos State to ensure that estates of people of Lagos State who died intestate are properly administered and held in trust such that beneficiaries of such estate have quick access to inheritance. Further to the petition in respect of the above caption, I am further directed to invite you for a meeting”.
At a point, one of their wives received the letter on their behalf but claimed they were not in the house.
The Domestic and Sexual Violence Agency in its letter signed by the Case Manager, Mr Nurudeen Abubakar Olalekan stated that the allegations levelled against Paul and Joseph Igwe “constitute the offences of domestic violence, threat to life, and assault contrary to the Protection against Domestic Violence Law 2007, Administration of Criminal Justicel Laws of Lagos State 2015. We would appreciate it if this case is handled with utmost urgency”, it stated.
Officials sealing off the property
On March 30, 2024, www.thegavel.com.ng/ had published an exclusive interview where Mrs Igwe narrated her ordeal in the hands of her husband’s family members who seized two of her children and also chased her out of the house built by her husband at Ayobo, Lagos. He was married to the late Igwe for 16 years before he slumped and died in a Lagos traffic on October 16, 2023. She narrated how her husband’s junior brother, Joseph Igwe came into her home in search of the property’s documents, beat her and locked her out of the house. Since then, she had been moving from one helper to another to survive. She had not seen her first two daughters for seven months.
Due to the unprecedented maltreatment of Mrs Igwe, she suffered a partial stroke and she’s presently nursing a debilitating health condition.
At the initial stage after the death of their brother, Mrs Ijeoma Igwe reported the violence against her at the Zone 2 Police Headquarters in Lagos. The Igwe brothers however filed a fundamental rights suit before an Ikeja High Court seeking to enforce their rights to life, liberty, and freedom from arrest. The suit named the Inspector General of Police, AIG Zone 2, CSP Abiodun Bamgbose, and Mrs Ijeoma as respondents.
The suit filed by their lawyer, Nnamdi Kingsley Nwoke sought the following reliefs:
Mrs Igwe after the partial stroke
A declaration that the continuing invitation, harassment, intimidation, and threat to arrest and detain the applicants by the respondents over family dispute, especially succession on intestacy under Igbo native law is unconstitutional as it violates the applicants rights to life, and freedom;
A declaration that 1-3 respondents are not custodians of native law and customs, and cannot assume jurisdiction to adjudicate over family dispute, and in particular succession and in particular succession on intestacy under Igbo native law and customs or any matter connected therewith;
A declaration that the applicants are not bound by the police undertaking, or any other undertaking made or procured at Zone 2 Police Command, Onikan, Lagos State, and purportedly extracted from the applicants, especially to undermine the judgment of the Customary Court of Ebonyi State of Nigeria in Suit No: CC/UB/4D/2023..…For More READ THE FULL STORY ▶
