Unending Squabble For Inheritance Tears Ibru Family Apart

By Chuks Ekpeneru

The Patriarch of Ibru family, late Olorogun Micheal would never have believed that the vast fortune he and the brothers struggled to amass in their lifetime will be the source of squabble tearing the once-famous unity the Ibru family was well known for.

The Ibru sons, Micheal, Felix, Bernard, Goldie, Alex were very close and had lots of things in common.  Only Goldie is alive and will certainly not be happy with the state of affairs in the family.

One thing presently running in the family is the various court cases in the family involving the immediate households of the men.

The peaceful sharing of inheritance left behind has proved to be difficult, in some instances attracting intervention of prominent Nigerians.

The senior of the brothers, Olorogun Micheal left behind five wives and sixteen children.

As of date there are suits and counter suits in court over the sharing of his multi-billion naira assets.

One of his sons, Oboden Ibru, had approached the Igbosere High Court, Lagos for a declaration, among others, that he and his 15 other siblings are entitled to the estate of their father.
In a counter-claim, one of the late Chief Ibru’s daughters, Janet Ibru, urged the court to declare that only persons whose paternity are confirmed by a diagnostics centre in the United States are entitled to an equal share of the estate.

During his burial in August 2016 in his hometown of Agharha-Otor, Delta State, His Grace, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, the Archbishop, Metropolitan and Primate of Anglican Church of Nigeria, had pleaded with the children of Felix, who was a former governor of Delta State to work amicably to protecting their father’s name. 

This has not been the case as the crisis in late Felix household has defied solution.

Late Felix Ibru was also a Senator and former President-General of the revered apex socio-cultural organisation of the Urhobo people worldwide, Urhobo Progressive Union. He was survived by two wives —Maltida and Caroline.

Felix two children, Felix (jnr.) and Elaine Amrotorigbeya Ibru— are up in arms with their eldest brother and first son of the family, Dr. Paul Aidido Ibru, over the running of the estate left behind by their father. They have gone to court to challenge Paul and three other siblings —Onojoma Yvette Oniwinde, Sheri Sonia Ibru and Olotu Ibru— over the running of their father’s company, Ibru Prefabs Limited, before the Federal High Court in Ikoyi, Lagos. They contend that their eldest brother was running the estate of their late father in a manner which is unfairly prejudicial and discriminatory to their interest. There case against Paul is that he assumed administration, control and management of the estate left by their late father without obtaining the consent or authority of the Court, and the other children.

In court, Felix Jnr. and Elaine want their elder brother to give account of how he handled their fathers estate since his death on March 12, 2016 up till this moment.

The case in the immediate family of Alex has attracted the attention of former Minister of Information, Chief Edwin Clark, who is a cousin to the Ibru brothers.

The elderstatesman, sometime ago appealed to a court to allow the family go for an amicable settlement of the matter. However, this has not helped the case between Maiden and Goldie.

 In that case, Maiden Ibru, who was said to be a secretary to late Alex before their marriage is at war with Goodie Ibru over control of the late husband holdings in Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc, the company which owns Sheraton Hotel. In H1 2019, the Tourist Company of Nigeria Plc recorded a loss after tax of N931.3 million, after earning total revenue of N1.6 billion. Earlier in full-year 2018, the company ran at a loss after tax of N1.3 billion, after previously recording a loss of N3.2 billion in 2017.

Maiden, who currently oversees The Guardian newspaper has the support of her children as she tangles with their uncle.

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