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| Late Ndubuisi Kanu |
A Lagos High Court sitting in Ikeja has ordered Mrs Gladys Kanu, one of the three wives of the late former Military Administrator of Lagos and Imo, Rtd. Rear Adm. Ndubuisi Kanu, to serve the respondents an amended originated summon presented to the court within seven days.
The respondents to the suit are the Nigerian Navy, the children, and other wives of the deceased.
They are Kelly Kanu, the Nigerian Navy, Simone Abiona (Nee Kanu), and Andrey Joe- Ezigbo (nee Kanu).
Others are – Paula Ndidiamaka Kanu and Karen Johnson (Nee Kanu), Jeffery Kanu, Laura Kanu, Stephen Kanu,Josephine Ndubuisi-Kanu (wife) and Christine Kanu (wife).
Justice Christopher Balogun in his ruling ordered that the claimant counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mr Wale Adesokan serve the respondents an amended originating summon within seven days starting from today.
“The respondents are hereby given 14 days to file in their responses to the amended originating summon through their lawyers,” Balogun ruled
The judge, who said that the case has not really started, noted that the only thing the court had been able to do was for the dead to be buried.
He said Adesokan had presented an amended application for the case to fully start.
“The justice of the case is to allow them to amend the originating suit so as to hear the case on the merit.
“It is not only the claimant that has something at stake. You clients too also have something at stake.
“I will take the amended originating summon and if you also want to file an amended application, I will also take it because I am going to give everyone fair hearing in this case,” Balogun said.
Earlier in the proceedings, Adesokan had notified the court of a pending application dated March 22 and urged the court to add paragraphs 2b and c in the amended originating summon dated March 7 to the suit filed by the claimant.
The counsel to the first, third to the ninth respondents, Mr Tomilade Shodimu, had presented a counter-affidavit dated April 5 to oppose the amendment originating summon, adding that the claimant formulated a new case.
Mrs Gladys Kanu in her suit wants the Nigerian Navy to calculate and pay the entitlement and benefits of the retired late Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu into an interest-yielding dedicated account.
She is also seeking to be declared as the only legal wife and sole widow of the deceased.
According to her, she and the deceased were living together until his death.
She noted that she was married to him for 27 years but was in a relationship with him for 31 years.
Justice Balogun has adjourned the case until May 12 for response to the amended summons
