The Lagos State Excessive Court docket will hear the withdrawal of a joinder software filed by Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, sons of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on March 10, 2025.
The appliance, dated December 16, 2024, seeks to retract their earlier request to be joined as events in a 2011 property swimsuit involving Ojukwu Transport Restricted.
The unique swimsuit, marked LD/794/2011, was filed by Ogbonna Ojukwu and others in opposition to OTL, with judgment delivered in 2018.
Justice Adedayo Oyebanji had awarded possession of OTL’s Lagos properties, together with No. 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, to the corporate.
Following the judgment, OTL executed a warrant of possession for all its Lagos properties, finishing the method in July 2022.
Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, who had claimed they had been unaware of the unique swimsuit, utilized final 12 months to hitch the case as events and sought exemption from the already executed warrant.
Late Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu was a celebration to the swimsuit till his demise in 2011.
On the final listening to for the recent software for the joinder on April 22, 2024, OTL Director, Dr P Ike Ojukwu, their agent, Mr Massey Udegbe and lawyer, Chief Ifeanyi Okumah had been in court docket whereas Bianca, and her sons and their legal professionals had been absent.
The case was adjourned until March 10, 2025, for a listening to.
Justice A. M. Lawal had within the 2022 judgment granted a restraining order in opposition to interference with Afamefuna and Nwachukwu’s possession of the properties pending the harmonization of Ojukwu properties by OTL.
Claiming to be unaware of the matter earlier than Justice Onyebanji, Afamefuna and Nwachukwu final 12 months served a ‘Discover of Disobedience of Court docket order’ on OTL, the Ojukwu and different tenants of the property.
Of their software searching for to be joined in case earlier than Justice Onyebanji, the Bianca sons claimed that they weren’t conscious of the pendency of the swimsuit and weren’t included as events within the case.
They argued that it might quantity to a miscarriage of justice for the matter to be conclusively determined with out their enter as the problems within the case have an effect on their curiosity.
In the meantime, OTL had final 12 months, following the judgment of Justice Lawal harmonised the administration of its belongings and reaffirmed Massey Udegbe and Co as its property agent and revealed the identical in two nationwide newspapers.
Of the 5 properties in Bianca and son’s 2012 swimsuit, OTL claims that it had not been paid hire for 12 years (N144m) by Uche Obilor/West African Offshore Restricted, occupants of 30 Gerard Rd,Ikoyi, Lagos.
It additionally claimed that the occupants of 32a Business Avenue,Yaba, Foursquare Gospel Church, has not paid OTL any hire since 2017 whereas 4 Macpherson Rd,Ikoyi has been beneath Police ‘lock and key’ since July 2015.
It additionally insisted that 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Rd, Ikoyi has been unoccupied for over 20 years whereas 13 Ojora Rd, Ikoyi is in good situation with good tenant-landlord understanding.