The Lagos State High Court has fixed March 10, 2025, to consider the withdrawal of a joinder application filed by Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, the sons of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, in the ongoing property dispute involving Ojukwu Transport Limited (OTL).
The application, dated December 16, 2024, seeks to reverse their earlier request to join a lawsuit filed in 2011 by Ogbonna Ojukwu and others against OTL.
The case, marked LD/794/2011, resulted in a 2018 judgment by Justice Adedayo Oyebanji, which awarded possession of several Lagos properties, including No. 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Drive, Ikoyi, to OTL.
The judgment was enforced in July 2022 when OTL executed a warrant of possession for its properties.
Afamefuna and Nwachukwu, who claimed they were unaware of the original suit, filed to join the case in 2023, arguing that the executed possession order adversely affected their interests.
They maintained that their exclusion from the case would amount to a miscarriage of justice, as their late father, Chief Chukwuemeka Odumegwu-Ojukwu, had been a party to the original suit until his death in 2011.
The last hearing on the joinder application, held on April 22, 2024, saw the attendance of OTL representatives, including its director, Dr. P. Ike Ojukwu, estate agent Massey Udegbe, and legal counsel Chief Ifeanyi Okumah.
However, Bianca, her sons, and their legal team were absent, leading to an adjournment.
Meanwhile, OTL continues to grapple with long-standing challenges in managing its properties. Some tenants, such as West African Offshore Limited, occupying 30 Gerard Road, Ikoyi, reportedly owe N144 million in rent arrears spanning 12 years.
Other properties, including 32A Commercial Avenue, Yaba, occupied by Foursquare Gospel Church, and 4 Macpherson Road, Ikoyi, have faced similar issues, with unpaid rents stretching back years.
OTL has also dealt with disputes over properties like 29 Oyinkan Abayomi Road, Ikoyi, which has been vacant for over two decades.
Following a 2022 judgment by Justice A. M. Lawal, OTL reorganized its asset management under Massey Udegbe & Co. and publicized this decision to ensure proper oversight.
The court’s decision on the withdrawal application will determine if Afamefuna and Nwachukwu remain part of the ongoing battle for the Ojukwu family’s Lagos properties.
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