Speaking through his will, late Ezeigbo Gburugburu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, this morning in Enugu, South-East Nigeria, refused to recognise Chief Sylvester Debe Odumegwu-Ojukwu as his son.

The 56-year-old Lagos-based lawyer, a split image of Ojukwu, has been in the news since the old man’s death on November 26, 2011 at age 78, acting as Ojukwu’s first son before he was checkmated by family members, resulting in a dispute.

In a suit made public five days ago, Chief Debe had demanded N100 million damages from his stepmother, Bianca, and six other members of the family for preventing him from performing the dust-to-dust rites during Ojukwu’s burial, and also preventing him from managing his estate.
In a sworn affidavit to enforce his fundamental human right before a Federal High Court in Lagos, South-West Nigeria filed on his behalf by Chief Mike Ozekhome, SAN, Chief Debe (see photo) averred as follows:

•That he was born on August 3, 1956 to the late Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu and his late wife, Margaret.
•That his father was then an Assistant District Officer at Udi, Enugu State, and his mother a primary school teacher at Udi.

• That he is the first and the eldest surviving son of the late Odumegwu-Ojukwu.

• That after his birth, his poor mother was responsible for his welfare and upbringing from her meagre income as a school teacher.
• That he joined the police as a recruit in 1976 and through hard work he went to the University of Nigeria, Enugu, and was later called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986.
• That his promising career in the Nigeria Police was abruptly truncated when Professor Joseph Okwuabudike Ojukwu, Engineer Emmanuel N. Ojukwu, Mr. Lotanna Ojukwu and Mrs. Margret Nugbo invited and begged him to come and manage the business of Ojukwu Transport Limited on their behalf despite the fact that they did not contribute anything to his upbringing.
• That Chief Emeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu during his lifetime never contested newspaper publications recognising him as his first surviving son.

• That when his father became ill in 2010, he donated blood to him at the University Teaching Hospital, Enugu, before he was flown abroad for further treatment.
• That he thereafter he visited him in London with his wife and children.

• That upon the demise of his father on November 26, 2011, a meeting was convened by Professor Joseph Ojukwu with a view to reaching an amicable settlement as to who should control and manage the personal property owned by Ojukwu Transport which belonged to their grandfather, Sir Louis Ojukwu, and the ones belonging to their father, Emeka Ojukwu.
• That there and then, Professor Joseph Ojukwu, Engineer Emmanuel Ojukwu and Lotanna Ojukwu threatened to maim or kill him if he did not cease forthwith from interfering with the management of the property owned by Ojukwu Transport and the late Sir Louis Ojukwu.

• That they also barred him from attending the burial of his late father despite the fact that he spent over N100 million during the funeral.
• That up till today, they are still threatening him on the basis of the circumstances of his birth, claiming that he is not the legitimate son of his late father.
• That this has caused a great distress among his peers and his business partners.

Joined in the suit are Ojukwu Transport Limited, Professor Joseph O. Ojukwu, Engineer Emmanuel N. Ojukwu, Mr. Lotanna Ojukwu, Emeka Ojukwu, Mr. Patrick Ojukwu, Mrs. Margret Mogbo, Nee Ojukwu, the Inspector-General of Police and Mr. Ibrahim Mukhtar, former Commissioner of Police Anambra State, now an Assistant Inspector-General of Police.

Prayers
Chief Debe prayed the court to restrain the defendants and their agents from threatening to kill him, if he did not cease from interfering with the will and personal property of Ojukwu Transport Limited and Sir Louis Ojukwu.
The presiding judge, Justice Okon Abang has adjourned the case till the 13^th of next month, December, for hearing.

However, in a development Debe could not have foreseen, his name was conspicuously missing from the list of Ojukwu’s children in his will read this morning identified one Tenny Haman among his children. In the will presented by Mr. Dennis Ekoh, Chief Registrar of the Enugu High Court, Ojukwu listed his children as Tenny Haman, Chukwuemeka Jnr, Mmegha, Okigbo, Ebele, Chineme, Afam and Nwachukwu.

Going by this, Bianca and the other defendants, who had yet to file a defence, appear to be set for an easy victory. Chief Debe’s next move remains to be seen.

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