Children of the late former military governor of Akwa-Ibom State, Idongesit Nkanga, have approached the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court in Jabi, Abuja, seeking assistance in reclaiming their father’s family house in the capital city.
The children, Utibeabasi Nkanga, Etietop Nkanga, Lance Nkanga, and Ini-Idara Nkanga, along with their mother, Joanna, have requested Judge O. A. Musa to invalidate the warrant of possession issued in favor of their stepmother, Mosun Nkanga.
The youngest among the children is 25 years old, according to their lawyer.
Mosun is the widow of Mr. Nkanga, a former military governor of Akwa Ibom State. He passed away in December 2020 due to COVID-19 complications.
The late Mr. Nkanga had six children, two females from Mosun and four males from Joanna Achibong, his former wife. He married Mosun in 2007 after his marriage to Joanna was dissolved by a court.
The children, represented by their lawyer Inibehe Effiong, pleaded with the judge to hear an application seeking to nullify the eviction by their stepmother, Mosun.
Citing an earlier order by Judge Musa on June 6, Mosun Nkanga had evicted her stepchildren and their mother from the family house located in the upscale Asokoro area of Abuja.
The eviction order, dated March 24, 2022, granted Mosun Nkanga immediate possession of a two-room apartment within her deceased husband’s estate at No. 3A and B Mary Slessor Close, off Udo Udoma, off Yakubu Gowon Road in Asokoro.
During the court hearing on Thursday, Mr. Effiong stated, “My Lord, at the moment, the children are homeless.” He recalled that one of the children was captured in a video being chased out during the eviction process by Ms. Nkanga.
According to Mr. Effiong, the children had resided in the property before their father’s marriage to Mosun in 2007. He urged the judge to hear and decide on the application before the annual judges’ vacation.
However, Mosun Nkanga’s lawyer, Marvin Omorogbe, argued that there was no urgency to entertain the children’s request to nullify the earlier eviction order. He disputed Mr. Effiong’s claim that the children were homeless, stating that “at the time of the eviction, the children were holidaying in France.”
After hearing arguments from both lawyers, Judge Musa acknowledged that the court needed to reconsider its previous actions. He noted the congestion of the court’s docket and advised the children to find temporary accommodation until his return from the annual vacation. The judge also urged journalists to accurately report court proceedings and cautioned against armchair reporting.
The case has been adjourned until September 1 for further hearing.
In 2021, Mrs. Nkanga had initially filed a lawsuit against her stepchildren and their mother for allegedly refusing her access to the Asokoro property. The court ruled on March 17, 2022, that denying Ms. Nkanga access to her matrimonial home violated her fundamental human rights. The court ordered Joanna and her children not to restrain or interfere with Mosun’s right to live in or enjoy her matrimonial home until the issuance of a letter of administration or grant of probate over the estate.
According to an extract from Mr. Nkanga’s will seen by PREMIUM TIMES, the Asokoro property consists of two wings with two duplexes. Mr. Nkanga allocated one wing (3A) to his wife, Mosun, and the second wing (3B), where he resided until his passing, to his children as a family house. However, it was specified in the will that the property should be reverted to Mosun when his last son, Ini-Idara, turns 30 years old.
Mr. Effiong clarified that Mosun Nkanga had not obtained the letter of administration or grant of probate over the estate as directed by the court before taking possession of the premises, which he described as an abuse of court processes.
