85-year-old woman drags son to court over property documents in Rivers
Elderly Woman Seeks Court Order for Return of Property Documents
PORT HARCOURT, Nigeria — An 85-year-old woman, Henrietta Fawehinmi, petitioned a Rivers State High Court to compel her son, Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi, to return the original title documents for several properties she owns in the state.
Professor Fawehinmi, who previously served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of Port Harcourt, currently holds the position of Vice-Chancellor at another university in Abuja.
The legal action, filed under suit number PHC/4500/CS/2025, stems from a separate case initiated by Professor Fawehinmi and his sister, Oluwafumi Fawehinmi, against a man named Ichie Ikenna-Onu. The siblings are contesting the validity of a sale involving property located at Orominike Layout, D/Line, Port Harcourt, which they claim was wrongfully transferred by their mother.
In her defense, Mrs. Fawehinmi requested the court to order her son to return original title documents for additional properties, including those at No. 24 Nwachukwu Street and No. 17 Emenike Close, both in Port Harcourt. She stated that she had paid Professor Fawehinmi ₦82 million as a condition for the release of these documents, according to a letter dated July 10, 2025.
The siblings allege that the sale of the property to Ikenna-Onu is invalid because it was conducted without a legal basis. They also indicated that their late father and mother, alongside Professor Fawehinmi and other siblings, were directors of Riettafa and Company Nigeria Limited. They claim Mrs. Fawehinmi later established a will distributing her properties among her five children, with Professor Fawehinmi appointed as attorney over her estate. However, Mrs. Fawehinmi disputes the will’s existence and validity, asserting that she withdrew her gifts to her children due to ongoing conflicts and disputes regarding the properties.
In her court statement, Mrs. Fawehinmi accused her son of abandoning her in her old age and exerting pressure on her to transfer properties to him. She also claimed to have supported his education and established a hospital for him in Port Harcourt, which she said he subsequently sold.
Mrs. Fawehinmi further asserted that her children, particularly Professor Fawehinmi and Oluwafumi, have failed to provide financial or emotional support, instead engaging in disputes over her properties. She alleged that her son removed her as a signatory from the company’s bank account, restricting her access to her own financial resources.
She expressed that the properties under dispute, including the land sold to Ikenna-Onu, are solely hers and not part of Riettafa and Sons Nigeria Limited. Mrs. Fawehinmi stated her intent to cease further sales of her properties unless her children reconcile and begin to care for her.
Ichie Ikenna-Onu, the first defendant in the case, denied the claims made against him in the plaintiff’s statements and requested the court dismiss the suit, describing it as an attempt to gain undeserved financial benefit.
