Inheritance: Court Orders Ndubuisi Kanu’s Widow To Serve Amended Summons

An Ikeja High Court yesterday ordered Mrs. Gladys Kanu, one of the three widows of ex- Military Administrator of Lagos and Imo states, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu (retd.), to serve the respondents an amended originating summons presented to the court 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).

In his ruling, Justice Christopher Balogun ordered the claimant’s counsel, Mr. Wale Adesokan (SAN), to serve the respondents the amended originating summons within seven days, starting from yesterday.

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

The judge, who said the case has not really started, added 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 its 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 summons 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,” Justice 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 summons, 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 summons, saying the claimant formulated a new case.

NAN reports that Gladys is seeking the Nigerian Navy to calculate the entitlements of the late Kanu and put same in a bank account.

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

Gladys said she and the deceased lived together until his death. She noted that was married to him for 27 years but was in a relationship with him for 31 years.

Justice Balogun adjourned the case till May 12 for response on the amended summons.