Amolu-Uwani Family Sues Maduka Onyishi, Maduka University Over Ancestral Land Dispute

The Amolu-Uwani Family of Ekwegbe, Igboetiti Local Government Area of Enugu State, has filed a lawsuit against Samuel Maduka Onyishi, the owner of Maduka University and Peace Mass Transit, and other defendants at the Enugu State High Court over a family land dispute. The case, with suit number OG/06/2024, was filed on March 26, 2024, at the Ogbede Division of the state High Court.
The plaintiffs, who are principal members of the Amolu-Uwani family, are seeking several declarations from the court, including that the family, comprising nine sub-families, are the rightful owners of the large expanse of land measuring 377,513.464 square meters, situated at Ugwu Udelle Agu Ekwegbe in Igbo Etiti LGA of Enugu State. They also seek a declaration that the agreement signed by the 1st and 2nd defendants to sell or alienate any part of the land to the 3rd defendant (Samuel Maduka Onyishi) without the plaintiffs’ consent is invalid, null, and void.
According to the plaintiffs’ statement of claim, the disputed land holds deep historical and spiritual significance for the family, serving as a sacred resting place for deceased members. The family had previously declined offers from interested buyers, including Dr. Dan Shere and Samuel Maduka Onyishi, due to their cultural and spiritual attachment to the land.
The plaintiffs allege that Maduka Onyishi, driven by desperation, devised various ploys to divide and manipulate family members into agreeing to sell the land. Despite the family’s resistance and the intervention of the Ekwegbe Youth and General Assembly, Onyishi persisted in his attempts to acquire the land.
The plaintiffs further claim that Onyishi successfully persuaded the 1st and 2nd defendants to collaborate and execute a temporary sale agreement for part of the land, acknowledging a partial payment of 5 million naira. The family considers this deal dishonest and alleges that the agreed price of 400 thousand naira per plot significantly undervalues the land.
On March 27, 2024, during the court’s mention of the suit, counsel for the plaintiffs, Ikechukwu Maximus Ugwuoke Esq, moved a motion for substituted service of the processes on the defendants, which was granted by the presiding judge, Hon Justice C.A Ogbabor. The case has been adjourned to May 30, 2024, for a Motion on Notice.
The plaintiffs are seeking an order of the court restraining the 3rd to 5th defendants, either by themselves or through their agents, from entering any part of the Amolu-Uwani family land without the plaintiffs’ consent for the purpose of carrying out any fencing, excavation, building, construction, development, or tampering with the land in any manner.
As the case unfolds, it remains to be seen how the court will resolve this land dispute between the Amolu-Uwani family and Samuel Maduka Onyishi, Maduka University, and other defendants.
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