By Echezona Okafor
NNEWI, ANAMBRA
A long-running inheritance dispute within the Ojukwu family of Mbanagu, Otolo in Nnewi has escalated into violence, following the killing of a key witness and rising allegations of intimidation, conflicting testimonies, and institutional lapses.
Mr. Joseph Nnadozie Ojukwu, a Kano-based businessman, has raised alarm over threats to his life after the fatal shooting of Mr. Aaron Ojukwu on February 8, 2026. The deceased was reportedly killed shortly after testifying in an ongoing court case over disputed family land.
The dispute centers on a controversial will allegedly left behind by the late family patriarch, who died in 2001. The document is said to have allocated a larger share of landed assets to his second wife, an action now being challenged in court by Joseph and other aggrieved family members.
However, fresh details have introduced contradictions into the matter. Records indicate that in 2006, when the family was sued by their brother Mr. Azuka Ulasi over the same property, no mention was made of any will. It was not until 2008, during another court proceeding, that the issue of a will was first introduced.
Further complicating the case, the family’s first daughter, identified as Elizabeth, reportedly testified that their father did not leave a written will, but rather gave oral instructions. According to her, the patriarch had told his children that any of them who made money could acquire land and develop it independently.
These inconsistencies have fueled suspicions among some family members, who question why a will, if it existed,was not referenced in earlier legal disputes shortly after the patriarch’s death.
Joseph Ojukwu also alleges that Mr. Azuka Ulasi began selling portions of the family land under the claim that a valid will existed, a development that has deepened tensions and triggered a series of confrontations, threats, and violence.
Attempts to resolve the matter through traditional arbitration at the palace of Igwe Kenneth Orizu III reportedly collapsed after a review panel cited procedural irregularities that may have aggravated the crisis.
Now fearing for his safety, Joseph has petitioned relevant authorities for protection and called for a full-scale investigation into the killing of Aaron Ojukwu, as well as the broader pattern of alleged threats and land disputes.
Stakeholders are also calling on Prof Charles Chukwuma Soludo thr governor of Anambra State to intervene urgently to ensure equity, justice, and the restoration of peace in the community.
The incident has renewed concerns over violent inheritance disputes, the safety of witnesses, and public confidence in both traditional and formal justice systems in Nigeria.