Published 27th Oct, 2021

By Tola Owoyele

A high court in Owerri, Imo State, has ruled in favour of Rosena Akuwodor, a widow with four children, who was wrongfully evicted from her residence by Maxwell Akuwodor, her brother-in-law.

On October 20, Justice K. A. Ojiako, the presiding judge, set aside the August 31 ruling that enabled Maxwell throw out his sister-in-law and her children, barely a year after the demise of Reginald Akuwodor, his brother and Rosena’s husband.

On September 4, FIJ had reported how Maxwell, with the writ of execution he had secured, and in the company of police officers, stormed the house in Umuokoji Umuorii Uratta, Owerri North Local Government Area, to evict Rosena and her four children.

Maxwell, 84, had argued that he was the rightful owner of the land on which Rosena husband’s house and a six-apartment structure belonging to late Nelson Okuoma Akuwodor, the father of Maxwell and late Reginald, were built.

Although his writ of execution had stated that the structure built by Nelson be vacated in Maxwell’s favour, while carrying out the order, Maxwell had gone ahead to eject the occupants of his brother’s building as well.

Following the ruling, the compound gate was reopened by the court on October 27 and Rosena and her four children returned home.

“The eviction was a horrible experience for mum, my siblings and me. We lost some of our belongings to the rain when we could not find a suitable place to keep them,” Ahunna Victory, one of the daughters of late Reginald, told FIJ.

“Right now, I am very happy that the initial ruling has been set aside and justice has prevailed. For two months, my family was rendered homeless because of our wrongful eviction. My mother also went through a lot during this period. But above all, we thank God that it has ended well for us.”

Share on Social Media