- I own the property, man claims
A mother of nine children, Mrs. Felicia Ngozi Nwidembia has accused her late husband’s brother, Emmanuel Nwidembia of seizing her landed property after turning down his sexual advances.
Felicia, a teacher and widow who hails from Idembia village in Ebonyi Local Government Area of Ebonyi State said Emmanuel, her only surviving brother-in-law, confiscated her 25 plots of land she inherited from her late husband because she refused the relationship the brother-in-law proposed.
The 49-year-old woman claimed Emmanuel deprived her and her nine children (one male and eight females) access to their inherited landed property.
Narrating her ordeal to The Point correspondent recently during an interview in Abakaliki, Felicia disclosed that the whole problem started after her husband’s death on July 14, 2019.
She claimed that the brother-in-law had wanted to make her husband’s lineage go into extinction by reportedly hiring some miscreants to abduct her 10 years old only son in August 2022 at gunpoint but through divine providence, she was able to escape with the child.
The widow called on the government to intervene and recover their land from him.
According to her, apart from ceasing her empty plots of land located at Nwoota-Eja, Emmanuel sold the same to PWAN estate developers.
She added that Emmanuel had attempted to chase her away from her house to enable him sell it off alongside the land but was resisted.
Felicia also disclosed that the villagers under the leadership of one Chidi Igidigbo had mediated on the matter and ruled on January 27, 2024 in her favour but alleged that Emmanuel rebuffed Igidigbo’s judgement.
She said, “After the failed attack, I spent three weeks in hiding with my children at Mr. Joseph Nwambam’s compound in the remote part of the community but after I noticed that he is determined to eliminate my only son, I quickly took him to Rev Fr Emmanuel Edeh at Port-Harcourt for safety.
“I had gone to the developers and showed them the documents indicating that the land belongs to my late husband, but they, through their manager, simply told me that they would settle the problem between me and my brother-in-law.”
When contacted on phone, Emmanuel denied making sexual advances at his late brother’s widow; rather, he accused her of plotting his death so that she can sell all the family’s landed property.
He further pointed out that the widow’s claims should not be taken seriously.
Emmanuel explained that, “For being the first son in the family of Nwidembia, I am the rightful owner of the said 25 plots of land and out of my magnanimity; I allowed my younger brother, Francis access to the property.
“Surprisingly after his death, his wife and children started to claim ownership of the said land.”
When contacted, the PWAN manager who did not tell The Point his name said that the 25 plots of land were genuinely bought from the Nwidembia’s family represented by Emmanuel and advised the widow to go and resolve whatever problem she has with the brother-in-law and stop involving his company.
