Joyce Wigwe, the elder sister of the late former group managing director and CEO of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, has addressed claims that their father, Shyngle Wigwe, filed a legal action against his granddaughter, Tochi.
Tochi is the late Mr Wigwe’s second child and first daughter.
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PREMIUM TIMES reported that Mr Wigwe, his wife, Chizoba, and their son, Chizi, died in a helicopter crash in February 2024 near the California-Nevada border in the United States (US). Six people were killed in the crash.
Recently, multiple online platforms reported that Mr Wigwe’s 90-year-old father sued his granddaughter over her father’s assets and is at the centre of an alleged dispute regarding the distribution of his late son’s estate.
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Back in October 2024, this newspaper also reported that a Lagos State High Court Probate Registry issued an ultimatum to Christian Wigwe to explain his interest in the estate of his cousin, the late Wigwe.
Christian, in an affidavit dated 7 October 2024 and filed at the Lagos State High Court Probate Registry, accused Mr Wigwe’s partner, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, of assuming the role that belonged to the deceased’s father — Shyngle Wigwe.
Tochi vs Shyngle
However, during an interview on TV360, an online news channel in Lagos, Ms Wigwe dismissed the rumours that her father filed a lawsuit against Tochi.
In the interview posted on YouTube on Thursday, she described the rumours as misleading and an attempt to tarnish her father’s and their family’s reputation.
Narrating what truly transpired, Ms Wigwe stated: “My father would never fight his child. If you look at our pleadings, we requested that Grandpa want to work alongside his granddaughter to nurture and raise the younger ones. It was never against Tochi—it was about working with her. Anyone who takes the time to read our pleadings will see that we were advocating for unity and cooperation with Tochi.
“Paul Usoro—the Chairman of Access Bank and the lawyer representing Tochi, the children, and others- applied with the court to have Tochi join the suit. But why would we sue Tochi? She cannot access the documents concerning Access Bank and Herbert’s estate. Those documents are with Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Paul Usoro, and Uche—that is why they were the defendants in the case.”
She emphasised that her father appealed for transparency and accountability in handling her late brother’s properties.
READ ALSO: The Wigwe family: A letter to Aig, By Ugoji Egbujo
Ms Wigwe further stated that her father assured Mr Aig-Imoukhuede, former managing director of Access Bank Group, and others that they needed to collaborate, promising that legal action would never be necessary.
“Despite this, Paul Usoro filed an application to join Tochi in the suit and publicly spread the narrative that my father was suing his granddaughter. That is entirely false.
“Neither my father nor any of us would ever sue our child. We love all our children, and they are close to one another. This narrative was a deliberate act of mischief by Paul Usoro”, she said.
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