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From Okey Sampson, Umuahia
Penultimate week, a 62-year-old widow and retired headmistress, Mrs. Nkechinyere Ndukwe raised the alarm over alleged efforts by some people to coercively take over her late husband’s property at 62, Mission Hill, Umuahia, the Abia State capital.
Mrs. Ndukwe specifically appealed to the wife of Abia State governor, Mrs. Priscilla Otti, to make an urgent intervention to save her and her family from the shackles of individuals she claimed were not known to her abinitio.
The widow’s alarm was amplified via a letter done by the Human Rights Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Umuahia Branch.
In the letter, the public was told of how the woman, her children and grandchildren are passing through hell here on earth from their traducers and solicited for urgent and robust intervention before the situation gets out of hand.
“They have made her life a living hell. The invaders have vowed to return with bulldozers to completely demolish what remains of the structures — and to forcefully eject her dead or alive.”
The letter further stated: “She is a poor widow who has given her life to serving society as a teacher. Now, she is being pushed to the edge, abandoned and defenseless.”
As soon as the widow’s cries went viral, those whose relation was said to have bought the property, countered her claims, saying she was economical with the truth even at her advanced age.
The forth and back claims about the property by both parties made this paper to spread its tentacles to unearth what exactly transpired.
Our first port of call was at the Obinna Ndukwe’s, the first son of Mrs. Nkechinyere and the man at the heart of the brouhaha.
Speaking with Daily Sun, Obinna admitted dealing with a representative of Mr. Chimezie Nwachukwu, a native of Umuahia, but resident in the United Kingdom, in respect of the said property.
Obinna said the property in question was valued at over N700m by a reputable firm of estate valuers and that he agreed in principle with the representative of Mr. Nwachukwu to pay the sum of N480m for the property, but that they paid only N300m which he acknowledged the receipt, and reneged in paying the remaining N180m.
He said as the completion of the total money was not forthcoming, he asked the relations of Mr. Nwachukwu to come and collect back the N300m he received from them, to which they refused, but instead he alleged they are using their wealth and connection to harass and intimidate him.
“I have asked them severally to come and take back their money since they are unwilling to pay the balance of the N180m, but they refused and have instead been harassing me with the police.
“I was locked up at Force headquarters, Abuja, for three weeks over this matter, and as I’m talking with you, I am hospitalized because of what I passed through in the police cell.”
Obinna said that he was ever willing to pay back the N300m should Mr. Nwachukwu so wish.
However, Obinna’s mother, Nkechinyere, is toeing a completely different path. For her, the property was never sold. When contacted at their 62, Mission Hill home in Umuahia, the woman emphatically said she never authorized her son, Obinna, to sell the property and that as far as she was concerned, the property was never, and would ever be sold.
She said: “The truth remains that they want to use intimidation and humiliation to take over my property.
“I did not know when my son, Obinna discussed and sold that place to them. It was when they wanted me to sign the documents that I was informed.
“I asked them whether they went to the ministry of lands to verify ownership of the property before making payment?”
Mrs. Ndukwe said she asked them the question because the records at the ministry showed the property is owned by herself, her daughter and Obinna, stressing that one person cannot sell it without the consent of the other two persons.
The woman explained further that the property was put under caveat by her and as such, no other person could sell it without her consent.
“The acclaimed buyers saw all these things, they didn’t contact me nor my daughter and went ahead to pay Obinna, falsely claiming I made an input to the deal through a phone voice note, to which police later found out to be lie.”
Mrs Ndukwe, who claimed her son was detained in Abuja by the police over the matter, denied knowledge that her husband used the property as collateral for a N80m loan facility her late husband obtained from Keystone bank.
She advised anybody who had any dealings in respect of the property with Obinna to go and settle with him, vowing to resist any individual from taking over the only property her husband left for her, with the last drop of her blood.
In the mean time, Mr. Eze Ibe, a relation to Mr. Nwachukwu, who was said to have bought the property, dismissed the claims by both Obinna and his mother, saying they were full of lies, and fraudulent.
“How could a woman of her age be so dishonest and fraudulent? She has cried to the whole world, cooking up stories she knows are lies.”
Ibe said the truth of the matter is that the said property under question was used as a collateral for a N80m loan facility the family obtained from Keystone bank, Aba branch and when they defaulted in repaying the loan the bank wanted to auction it to recover their money.
“It was at this point that someone who knew Obinna linked him up with us and we convinced our brother, Mr. Nwachukwu who resides in the UK to buy the property.
“Obinna’s mother, Mrs. Nkechinyere Ndukwe was aware of the deal and she gave her consent. The amount agreed upon for the property by both parties was N300m and we made the initial deposit of N120m right inside the Keystone Bank and they handed over the Certificate of Occupancy to us as the new owners of the property.”
Ibe went further to state that, “later we completed the payment and went for the signing of the documents, it was then Mrs. Nkechinyere Ndukwe started being funny and said they were no longer selling the property as her daughter, who traveled to the United Kingdom with part of the money we paid them, said they will no longer sell the property.”
He said as far as they are concerned, the property has been sold and bought, insisting the woman and her children must give up possession of the facility which used to be a hotel.
