For nearly a decade, a father’s relentless fight for his daughter’s release finally came to an end as law enforcement officials enforced a court-backed judgment to reunite him with his child. The issues, which began with the tragic loss of his wife on July 17, 2015, spiraled into a complex legal battle involving multiple court orders, high-profile legal representation, and an unwavering resistance from the child’s maternal grandparents.
A Family Shattered by Tragedy
Uche Nnaji’s ordeal began when his wife, Ifeoma Nnaji (nee Adigwe), died after undergoing brain surgery a few days after she complained of a sharp pain in her head. This incident had occurred just three months after the late Ifeoma returned from the U.S. where she had travelled to, to birth of their last child. The couple had built a life together and were raising two children and a newborn when tragedy struck, leaving the husband not only grieving but also facing an unexpected battle over his own family.
“Ifeoma and I met whilst we were both working at Zenith Bank HQ Lagos in 2007, and we got married on the 22nd of November, 2008. Our love was pure, and Ifeoma was an embodiment of decency. She was sincere in all her dealings with people; she was a virtuous wife, a loving mother to our 3 beautiful daughters, and a devoted Christian. We had so many dreams for the future, and we worked fervently together towards our goals, and God had blessed our union tremendously. The pet name for Ifeoma was “babe.”. Ifeoma’s demise is still the most devastating experience in my entire existence. She left a unique mark in our hearts. Her life was a blessing. Rather than being consumed in grief, the girls and I decided to celebrate and promote her legacy and good work. It was a wonderful opportunity in 2017 to promote her values at the Friends of Jesus Orphanage, where the 3C Foundation was launched in memory of her selfless love towards humanity. You’re forever in our hearts until we meet again”, said Uche. .
Uche was a loving husband, always supportive of his wife and ensuring that she and their children had everything they needed. Both of them had good jobs, and it reflected in how they wanted to live their lives, as they spared no expense. Like any other couple, they had their share of disagreements, but they always found a way to forgive, resolve, and embrace peace. His support wasn’t limited to his immediate family; he also made efforts to be there for his in-laws.
When his wife fell ill, he spared no effort in seeking the best possible medical care for her. At the time of her illness, Uche and his family were based in Côte d’Ivoire. He made every sacrifice to see that she had the best Medicare available. Unfortunately, despite all the efforts made, his wife passed away due to a brain aneurysm (post-surgical operation), leaving him and their 3 daughters devastated.
Following the wife’s passing, his mother-in-law stepped forward, offering to take in the newborn under the guise of helping the grieving father recover from the shocking and devastating loss. At the time, overwhelmed by grief and the responsibility of raising three children alone, Uche consented, believing it to be a temporary arrangement. What he did not anticipate was that this decision would mark the beginning of a decade-long fight for his daughter’s return.
“My wife’s sudden demise left me in a huge shock. I became an emotional wreck, and I was left with no option but to accept my mother-in-law’s request to take my last child with her to Lagos until after the burial of my late wife and upon making adequate arrangements for my daughter’s upkeep. My mother-in-law had requested to take away all my 3 children at the time, but I had requested to keep my older daughters and only agreed that my last child go with her due to her tender age, being only 4 months old at the time. I remain eternally grateful that I did not release my older kids, who have been the ones who have kept me strong, sustained me through these years, and spurred me to remain resilient and to fight for the release of their baby sister… I have no doubt that my wife has continued to be our guardian angel throughout these 10 years”, said Uche.
A Devastating Family War
Shortly after Uche handed over his four-month-old baby to his in-laws with her American passport, his in-laws began making grave accusations against him, alleging that he was responsible for their daughter’s death by battering and maltreating his wife ‘allegedly.’ Despite medical records proving otherwise, the accusations persisted, leading to a bitter feud. The tension reached its peak when the wife’s family refused to allow Uche to bury his late wife, going as far as seizing her corpse at the airport when arrangements were made for an autopsy to be carried out. Legal proceedings ensued, and after prolonged court processes, his in-laws had entered a compromise by way of a terms of settlement, agreeing to forgo an autopsy and move forward with the burial.
“The actual legal battle commenced when Mr. Nnaji’s in-laws, Mr. Eddie Adigwe & Mrs. Maria Adigwe as 1st & 2nd claimants, respectively, engaged the firm of Festus Keyamo, SAN, who filed a civil action at the Lagos High Court with suit no. LD/1200GMCW/2015, sometime in December 2015, against Mr. Nnaji as 1st defendant, Inspector General of Police as 2nd defendant, the AIG zone 2, Lagos, as 3rd defendant, Commissioner of Police Lagos as 4th defendant, and Mortuary Facility Group as 5th defendant, praying for the following:
An order declaring that the 1st defendant accelerated, caused, and significantly abused the claimant’s late daughter, Mrs. Ifeoma Nnaji, thereby resulting in her premature death.
An order for the sum of ₦50,000,000 (fifty million naira) against the 1st defendant for callously, physically, and emotionally abusing late Mrs. Ifeoma Nnaji, the claimants’ daughter herein, which abuse led to her premature demise.
An order declaring that the 2nd, 3rd & 4th defendants, by their failure to unduly interfere in their complaint, aggravated the pain of the claimants.
An order for the sum of ₦50,000,000 (fifty million naira) against the 2nd, 3rd & 4th defendants for their failure and negligence in unduly interfering in their complaint aggravated the pain of the claimants.
An order declaring that the denial, refusal, and/or neglect of the 5th defendant on the instruction of the 1st defendant from allowing the claimants access to their late daughter’s body lodged in the custody of the 5th defendant for one year and seven months in an act of cruelty.
An order claiming ₦50,000,000 (fifty million naira) damages from the Caring Global Resources Ltd. (otherwise known as “the caring group”), owners of Lagos Island Mortuary, for the torture and trauma the 5th defendant put the claimant’s family through by denying access to their daughter’s body, whom they kept in their care.
An order restraining the 2nd, 3rd & 4th defendants from inviting or harassing, intimidating the claimants on any facts associated with this matter.
In response to these claims, Mr. Nnaji engaged the services of the firm of Rotimi Adeniyi & Co. L.P., who filed a defense & counterclaim on his behalf praying for the following:
A declaration that procurement of the ex-parte order for substituted service dated the 14th day of January, 2016, by the claimants/defendants to counterclaim, to post the process at his workplace at No. 17/19 Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, when the claimants/defendants to counterclaim are aware of his physical address in Côte d’Ivoire, was based on falsehood and to mislead the honorable court and thus wrongful and a defamation of his character.
A declaration that the procurement of the ex-parte order for substituted service dated the 14th day of January, 2016, by the claimants/defendants to counterclaim, to post the processes on his workplace at No. 17/19 Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, when the claimants/counter-claimants are aware of his physical address in Côte d’Ivoire, was based on falsehood and to mislead the honorable court is wrongful and libelous.
Sum of ₦100,000,000 (One Hundred Million Naira) only as damages for the libelous publication caused by the posting of the court processes at his workplace at No. 17/19 Idowu Taylor Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, when the claimant/defendant is aware of his physical address in Côte d’Ivoire.
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A declaration that the failure of the claimants/defendants to counterclaim to return Miss Chigozie Sharon Nnaji, born on the 19th of March, 2015, who the 2nd claimant surreptitiously took from the 1st defendant upon failure after repeated demand for her return of his child to reunite with the 1st defendant and the child’s siblings, constitutes an abduction and is therefore illegal and unlawful.
• An order for the immediate release of Miss Chigozie Sharon Nnaji, illegally taken by the claimants/defendants to counterclaim against the 1st defendant/counterclaimant for the reunion with his family.
An order directing the 2nd, 3rd & 4th defendants to charge the claimants/defendants to counterclaim for abduction.
The matter is still pending in court and now before Hon. Justice Odugbesan of the High Court of Lagos Igbosere, with the next adjourned date of 3rd of March, 2025, when the matter is fixed for hearing the Adigwes motion for change of counsel with a motion to amend their claims yet again. Even though the claimants had filed an interlocutory appeal challenging the order of Hon. Justice Harrison dated 12th of February, 2018, ordering the claimants to produce Miss Chigozie Nnaji in court on the next adjourned date and for the claimants to depose to an affidavit stating the child’s school with medical details so that Mr. Nnaji can see his child and ascertain his child’s education with medical records. However, the said interlocutory appeal filed by the claimants has since been overtaken by events since it is now over 5 years that the order was made and Mr. Nnaji had already resigned to fate. Also, Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe have deployed several delay tactics like changing their story and amending their claims 4 times, filing interlocutory appeals, filing multiple suits on the same issues amounting to abuse of court process, applying for change of counsels, and the like. The Adigwes have since had 9 lawyers after Festus Keyamo, SAN and current Hon. Minister of Aviation, who walked out on them, having found no credibility in their case. SInce Keyamo dropped the case, it had lingered for almost 10 years at the instance of the claimants, who have not been diligent in prosecuting the matter, which makes it evident that Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe appear to have no credible case against Mr. Nnaji and may have just filed the matter only as a strategy to exploit him financially. Any reasonable person should be curious about the Adigwes rationale for demanding compensation of ₦50,000,000 at the time if there was truly a prima facie case of murder against their son-in-law. The Adigwes had underestimated Mr. Nnaji, hoping they could exploit his vulnerability at the time, as they never envisaged that they would hit a brick wall, with Mr. Nnaji furiously fighting back to assert his rights and counter-claiming for defamation of his person. The issue of the autopsy has since been put to rest upon the court’s intervention & mediation, that the issue of the release of the child be stepped down until after the burial of Uche’s late wife, and pursuant to the terms of the settlement dated 11th of November, 2016, freely adopted by the parties, which Honorable Justice Harrisson adopted as a consent judgment. Having amicably resolved the issue of the autopsy and burial of the late Mrs. Ifeoma Nnaji, in compliance with the said consent judgment, the late Mrs. Ifeoma Nnaji was finally laid to rest with her remains buried at the vaults and garden at Mayfair Gardens, Lekki–Epe Expressway, Lagos, on Friday, 9th of December, 2016,” Barrister Adeniyi, counsel to Uche said.
While the burial issue was eventually resolved, and Uche’s wife was later laid to rest 17 months after she passed, another battle loomed—the custody of the couple’s newborn daughter. When Uche sought to reclaim his third daughter, his in-laws flatly refused, setting the stage for a years-long legal fight.
A Father’s Relentless Legal Battle
Determined to reunite with his daughter, Uche filed a criminal petition to initiate a criminal charge of abduction and to ensure the rescue of his daughter from his in-laws. Over the years, multiple court rulings were issued in his favor, reaffirming his legal right to have custody of his child. Yet, despite these legal victories, the maternal family remained defiant, refusing to hand over the child and taking to appealing every judgment against their action.
Throughout the legal proceedings, the in-laws enlisted the services of several prominent lawyers to strengthen their case. Initially, they secured the representation of former human rights lawyer and Nigeria’s current minister of aviation, Mr. Festus Keyamo. However, after handling the case and reviewing the pros and cons, Keyamo eventually withdrew, citing a lack of merit in their claims. Undeterred, the in-laws went on to hire no fewer than nine different law firms, each attempting to challenge Uche’s legal attempt to take custody of his daughter from his in-laws. But judgment after judgment, the court upheld the father’s parental rights, ruling that the child be returned to him.
Despite the repeated rulings in his favor, the in-laws refused to comply, prolonging the father’s heartache and deepening the legal entanglement.
“The Adigwe’s had filed another action before a family court in suit no. LD/352PMC/2016 before Hon. Justice Idowu (now of blessed memory) seeking the custody of the three (3) children between Mr. Nnaji and his late wife:
By way of response and in a counter-move, Mr. Nnaji had filed suit no. LD/370PMC/2016 before Hon. Justice Obadina, raising a preliminary objection against the suit filed by the Adigwes and seeking an order for the release of his biological daughter, Miss Chigozie Sharon Nnaji, abducted by Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe. Both suits were consolidated, and final judgments were delivered by Hon. Justice Obadina in both suits on the 6th of August, 2020, dismissing the application of Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe and granting him sole custody of all three children of the marriage of Mr. Nnaji with his late wife and also ordering the immediate release of Miss Chigozie Nnaji to her father, who, in the court’s findings in collaboration with assessors from the Lagos State Ministry of Social Welfare, found and held that Mr. Nnaji was better positioned and fit in all ramifications to have custody of the children. The counsel of the Adigwe’s at the time, Barr. Tijani, had approached Mr. Nnaji’s counsel, assuring him that he had advised his clients to abide by the court judgment and that Mr. Nnaji should indicate what date he wished to pick up his child from the Adigwe’s home.
To the shock of both counsels, about a fortnight after the judgments were delivered, Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe engaged yet another lawyer (the firm of Adebowale Adenigbagbe & Co.) and appealed the said judgment, reneging on the promise of their former counsel. The appeals in the 2 consolidated matters are still pending, whilst attempts by the Adigwes to obtain an order of stay of execution of the judgments of Hon. Justice Obadina failed.
It is obvious that the strategy of the Adigwe’s was to frustrate Mr. Nnaji from reaping the benefit of the judgment of the trial court. The Adigwes were bent on holding on to the poor child till she was 18 years old, and then all Mr. Nnaji’s efforts would be futile with the judgment of the appeal court, thereby rendered nugatory, wherein the child can no longer be restored to her rightful status, having lost out on the ‘world-class’ education & health care available in the U.S., being a U.S. citizen with the better standard of living her father would have provided, compared to what her grandparents offered. It is worthy to note that even a layman could predict that the Adigwes will appeal up till the Supreme Court if their appeal at the Court of Appeal fails, as the Adigwes have never obeyed court orders of the lower courts, and from their antecedents, they were not going to abide by the orders of the Court of Appeal if unfavorable.” said Barrister Adeniye
A Painful Separation and a Life in Limbo
As the legal battle dragged on, sometime in 2019, Uche made a significant move—relocating to the United States with his two older daughters. He would later remarry on November 29, 2018 to build a new life with his two daughters, a new wife, but with the absence of his third child. Every legal triumph was met with defiance from his in-laws, further complicating efforts to reunite with his daughter.
His two older daughters also suffered emotional breakdowns due to the separation from their baby sister. Every day, throughout the decade of their sister’s absence, they struggled to understand why their sibling could not be with them in America. They lived with a deep sense of loss for losing their mom at tender ages and being unable to comprehend the circumstances that kept their sister away from them. In addition to their father’s countless requests to the Adigwes for the release of their sister, they had made several requests via text message and phone calls to their grandparents to return their baby sister, which was rebuffed, and even made videos tagged #bringbackchigozie.
For Uche and his two older daughters, the trauma was unbearable. He knew he could provide his daughter with the best love, care, affection, and education in the U.S., yet his in-laws stubbornly withheld her, not because they could offer her a better life, but seemingly to punish him. Despite their inability to provide the same level of care and education, they refused to let his third daughter go, deepening his emotional suffering after the painful loss of his wife. Mr. Nnaji also requested his daughter’s US passport, which they denied being in their possession. It took the intervention of the court to demand the passport, which they reluctantly produced.
The Final Breakthrough
After nearly a decade of legal battles and unyielding resistance from his in-laws, Uche decided it was time to take decisive action. Attempts he made to involve family and friends to resolve the matter were also met with stiff resistance. Uche was rebuilding a new life in the US with his family, but a part of him was still missing. He wanted his third daughter to be a part of his new life, and there was no way he would have closure after losing his wife if he allowed their last daughter to also slip away. Armed with court judgments in his favor, he petitioned the Nigeria Police to lawfully enforce the release of his daughter. Uche knew it was going to be a long shot, but he was willing to take it because he could no longer sit by and watch his daughter live under another roof other than his own.
“As co-defendants in the legal cases instituted by the Adigwes and particularly in Mr. Nnaji’s counterclaim, where he sought an order for the release of his daughter, the Nigeria Police had no option but to abide by the court’s decisions and allow the rule of law to prevail. Under our law, taking custody of any child without the parents’ consent is unlawful, apart from the immorality of the act. Specifically, Section 24 of the Child Rights Law provides accordingly that:
“No person shall remove or take a child out of the custody or protection of his father or mother, guardian, or such other person having lawful care or charge of the child against the will of the father, mother, guardian, or other person.”
It has also become imperative to refer to section 371 (2) of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, which criminalizes the abduction or denial of access of a father or mother or legal guardian to their child, and such an act is a felony and punishable with 14 years’ imprisonment. The said provision goes thus:
“Any person who, with intent to deprive any parent, guardian, or other person who has lawful care or charge of a child under the age of twelve years, of the possession of such child, or with intent to steal any article upon or about the person of any such child—(1) forcibly or fraudulently takes or entices away, or detains the child; or (2) receives or harbors the child, knowing it to have been so taken or enticed away or detained, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.”
Sometime in January 2025 and 10 years after his daughter was taken away from him,, on the advice of his counsel, Barrister Adeniyi, who had represented Uche from the inception of the legal battles in 2015; Mr. Nnaji was left with no option; after several appeal for the release of his child by the Adigwe’s and 5 years after obtaining a favorable judgment; but to file a criminal petition against Mr.&Mrs. Adigwe for the abduction of his child particularly upon disturbing reports that his daughter was not being taken care of by the grandparents. His daughter was going to school in a tricycle (also known as “keke Napep”) unsupervised thereby exposed to lots of danger. With the help of Police Officers and support of the Lagos State Social Welfare and in the presence of her biological father, Miss Chigozie Sharon Nnaji was rescued on Wednesday, 22nd of January, 2025, on her way to school in a tricycle in a remote area in Ikorodu, Lagos state where the Adigwes resided.
With a carefully executed intervention, the Nigeria Police eventually put an end to a painful and prolonged dispute, finally bringing Uche’s daughter back to him as the rightful custodian. Uche Nnajis family is calling for the prosecution of Mrs. Maria Adigwe for the abduction of their daughter and are resolute in their quest to ensure that the poor child gets justice. Hence, justice must be served against the Adigwes for this illegality and the inhumane treatment, and it is in this vein that we call on the judiciary and well-meaning Nigerians to support the cause #JusticeforChigozie. Chigozie will be 10 years old on the 19th of March, 2025, and there is no better way to mark her 10th birthday than with Chigozie celebrating this landmark with her immediate family and loved ones, which will be her very 1st birthday with her father and her siblings with stepmother.
The media propaganda that backfired
On Saturday, February 1, 2025, Uche’s sleep was rudely interrupted with a call bringing his attention to an ongoing interview of Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe on 99.3 FM Nigeria Info, where they had gone on a live program tagged “Relationship 360” to again promote their callous narrative, alleging that Uche murdered his late wife and kidnapped his own daughter. The story was so emotional and seemed believable to the anchor, Barrister Olumide Omoshebi, with the co-host Mrs. Onyinyechi Aderigbigbe, and then callers showed support and empathy to both ‘grieving’ grandparents, pledging donations to support them with a call for justice for the Adigwes. The anchor of the show also called for quick action by the Inspector General of Police with relevant authorities that Uche must be brought to book for the ‘grievous crimes.’. Consequently, as of Monday, 3rd of February, 2025, the Nigerian Immigration had put Uche’s name on the embargo list, with different NGOs calling for his head. Uche had barely had a rest and was so exhausted, having had 2 weeks of sleepless nights in the course of rescuing his daughter and processing how to get them both out of Nigeria. Troubled by the allegations, he reached out to his counsel, Barrister Adeniyi, to immediately contact the radio station and rebut all allegations made against him by his former in-laws during the live show.
In exercise of Uche’s right of reply, his counsel immediately wrote to the station and contacted the anchor, demanding a fair hearing for his client so he can debunk the allegations made against him by the Adigwe’s.. A pre-interview meeting was held with Barr. Olumide, the anchor of the show, Uche’s lawyer, Barrister Adeniyi and Uche to prove the latters innocence. During the meeting, Uche’s counsel presented all the court judgments, legal documents, WhatsApp text messages, and so many other pieces of evidence regarding the case to the shock of. Barrister Olumide. For sake of fairness, Barrister Olumide reached out to the Adigwes to inform them of his meeting with Uche and the evidences provided, but they kicked and bombarded his mobile phone with countless voice notes and text messages insulting him and demanding that they must feature during Uche’s planned live interview. Barrister Olumide declined their request and maintained that it was only fair to accord Uche the same gesture they got by letting him have an uninterrupted session.
On Saturday, the 8th of February, 2025, Uche, with his counsel, Barrister Adeniyi attended the interview to put the facts and evidences in public and dispel the lies of the Adigwe’s. The public reactions that followed the interview remain a testament that indeed Uche was innocent of the allegations levelled against him by his former in-laws. The media war initiated by the Adigwe’s had backfired with listeners of the show claiming the Adigwe were making baseless and malicious allegations against their former son-in-law.
A Victory Marked by Loss and Lessons
Though victorious in his fight, Uche’s battle was one marked by deep personal loss. The years of separation had stolen precious moments he should have shared with his daughter—her first words, first steps, and the formative years of her childhood. Yet, as he finally embraces the child he fought so hard to reclaim, the victory offers a sense of closure and a chance to rebuild the bond that was unjustly severed.
The case underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring that court judgments are respected and enforced. It also highlights the emotional and psychological toll of custody disputes, not just on the parents involved but also on the children caught in the crossfire.
As Uchenna Obinwanne Nnaji, his three daughters and the rest of his immediate family embark on this new chapter together, the hope remains that their bond will strengthen and that the years of separation will be healed with love, patience, and understanding.
While legal battles may come to an end in courtrooms, the real journey of reunification and healing begins in the hearts of those who have been wrongfully kept apart.
