Inheritance Dispute: Court Asks Governor’s Widow To Serve Co-Wives

An Ikeja High Court on Tuesday ordered Mrs Gladys Kanu, widow of the late former Military Governor of Lagos and Imo, Rear Adm Ndubuisi, to serve the respondents including two of her co-wives an amended originating summons presented to the court on the inheritance dispute over his assets. The summons is to be served within seven days.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the respondents in the suit are; Kelly, the Nigerian Navy, Simone Abiona (Nee Kanu) and Andrey Joe- Ezigbo (nee Kanu).

Others are – Paula Ndidiamaka and Karen Johnson (Nee Kanu), Jeffery, Laura , Stephen,Josephine Ndubuisi-Kanu (wife) and Christine(wife).

Justice Christopher Balogun in his ruling, ordered that the claimant’s counsel, Mr Wale Adesokan. SAN, to serve the respondents, amended originating summon within seven days starting from today.

“The respondents are hereby given  14 days to file in their responses to the amended originating summon through their lawyers”, Balogun held.

The judge, who said that the case has not really started, noted that the only thing the court had been able to do was for the dead to be buried.

He said Adesokan had presented an amended application for the case to fully start.

“The Justice of the case is if you allow them to amend the originating suit so as to hear the case on the merit.

“It is not only the claimant that has something at stake. Your clients too also have something at stake.

“I will take the amended originating summon and if you also want to file an amended application, I  will also take it because  I  am going to give everyone fair hearing in this case,” Balogun said.

Earlier in the proceedings, Adesokan had notified the court of a pending application dated  March 22 and prayed the court to add paragraphs  2b and c in the amended originating summon dated March 7 to the suit filed by the claimant.

The counsel to the first, third to the ninth respondents, Mr O.A. Sodiimu, had presented a counter affidavit  dated April 5 to oppose the amendment originating summon, adding that the claimant formulated a new case.

NAN reports that Gladys in a suit marked LD/3685FPM/2021, is seeking the Nigerian Navy  to  calculate the entitlements of the late Kanu into a bank account following the inheritance dispute over his assets between the wives of the former governor and her demand to be recognised as the widow.

She is also seeking to be declared the only legal wife and sole widow of the deceased.

She said she and the deceased lived together until his death.

She noted that she was married to him for 27 years but was in a relationship with him for 31 years.

Balogun adjourned the case until  May 12 for response on the amended summon. (NAN)

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