A Lawyer to Rochas Okorocha, former governor of Imo state, Oba Maduabuchi, SAN, is facing  faces indefinite public protest and outcry over his refusal to hand over the three children of Bob Elobuike, his late Son in-law to the Elobuike’s family.

In a statement sent to GBETU, signed by Friends of Late Bob Elobuike and Human Rights Activist, Comrade. I. A. Kalzeeni (F O B.) and Field Commander of Voice of the Southern People of Nigeria (VOTSPON), Oba Maduabuchi SAN has been urged to returns the three children of Late Bob Elobuike to the Elobuike’s family without further delay and also stop his known provocative manipulations.

The Friends of Late Bob Elobuike who have also launched #Justice4Bob Movement and Crusade vows fight until Justice for Late Bob Elobuike is done and achieved.

According to the statement, for almost five years, after the death of Bob, his family have not set eyes on their ‘blood’ due to reason best known the the Nigerian lawyer.

The therefore call on Federal Government of Nigeria and the Executive Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and other human rights group interested to help secure the children.

Read their complete statement below:

We the good friends of late Bob Elobuike, do here by officially launch our long overdue campaign for Justice for our late friend, Bob Elobuike.

 

We call on the Federal Government of Nigeria and the Executive Governor of Enugu State to call Oba Maduabuchi SAN to absolute order and ensure he returns the three children of Late Bob Elobuike to the Elobuike’s family without further delay and his known provocative manipulations.

 

Nigerians, please help tell Oba Maduabuchi, SAN and native of Achi in Ojiriver LGA of Enugu State to stop holding Late Bob Elobuike’s three kids hostage. Oba Maduabuchi should release late Bob Elobuike’s three legitimate children to Bob Elobuike’s family.

 

Bob died off after four years of futile efforts to see the three children of his marriage with daughter of a trending SAN, Oba Maduabuchi. Oba denies that he ever prevented late Bob from seeing his children but till date (almost five years after Bob’s death), Bob’s family does not have access to the children. When Bob died on Dec 6, 2016, Oba did not allow the children to witness their father’s burial. When Bob’s wife Nnenna eventually died on March 24, 2020, Oba insisted on taking only the corpse of his daughter for burial at Eke in Udi LGA of Enugu State (without the children of the marriage). Bob’s family’s insistence on having the kids with them for the funeral ceremony caused Nnenna’s corpse to remain in the mortuary for six months following which Oba defied all cultural norms and buried his married daughter in his own village compound. Abomination!

 

The question is: what has he or is he doing to / with those children that makes him, a lawyer rather disrespect the law than allow contact with their paternal family?

 

 

1. This SAN called Oba Maduabuchi is a bully who pushed his son in law into fatal depression, having seized his children, denied him and continues to deny his inlaws access to the children. He boasts that the court is his domain and his inlaws stand no chance of winning a case against him.

 

2. Refused to appear in court despite being duly served. Isn’t it curious that one year after a process was instituted, the case has roved from Aguobu Owa High Court to Enugu High Court, to Oji High Court, back to Enugu High Court, and has since not been heard either for crisis or unusually long adjournments? The SAN, Oba Maduabuchi had boasted that the court was his domain and will work in his favour, remember? Justice delayed in this peculiar instance translates to Justice denial because the children of today in a twisted fellow’s custody may only be rescued as damaged and dangerous adults. Time to return Bob’s children to their People is NOW!

 

3. He publicly admonished his Igwe for accepting process for him.

 

4. Buried the corpse which is under litigation.

We can no longer watch evil prevail over good. We call on Nigerians help fight this battle for Bob. The time for Justice for Bob is now. Late Bob Elobuike and Nnenna Maduabuchi got married traditionally at Ehuhe Achi on December 6, 2008 and in the church, two days later at St. Michael’s, Asata, Enugu. They had three children before falling apart in October, 2012. Nnenna left with the three children first to her place of birth in Jos and later, relocated with her mother, Obiageli to be with her father, Oba Maduabuchi in Abuja. Several trips made by Bob from Enugu both to Jos and Abuja to see his children yielded no positive result as Oba Maduabuchi, SAN and wife, Obiageli kept the children hidden from him.

 

His friends especially those who had accompanied him on the journeys understood he was drifting into depression and tried as much as possible to keep him company.

 

Bob died on the 6th and was buried at Eke on the 15th of December, 2016 with neither his wife, Nnenna nor children then aged 4, 5 and 7 years, present. Oba Maduabuchi would not let them be at the funeral.

 

Bob’s memorial ceremony was slated to hold a year later at Eke and Nnenna who was in Achi for Christmas and New Year festivities, was invited by Bob’s elder brother, Eddy. She accepted and asked to be picked up for the event. On that day, Eddy drove from Eke to Achi to pick up Nnenna and the children for the ceremony as agreed but was told on phone by Nnenna after hours of waiting in her father’s house, that her mother, Obiageli Maduabuchi said they should not go.

 

Nnenna died on March 24, 2020. Her father, Oba announced plans to bury her at Eke, her late husband’s home. On the request by Bob’s father to have the children a couple of days before the burial, Oba Maduabuchi made another proposal of burying his daughter’s corpse at Achi and later to take sand sample from her grave for a ceremonial burial at Eke. The Elobuike family then went to court. The SAN in utter disregard of the matter in court, went ahead and buried his married daughter in his hometown.

 

 

What is Oba Maduabuchi hiding about the children from the Elobuike family? Are the children really safe in his custody? Bob’s death was a shocking mystery to his aged parents. Continued denial of access to their late son’s legitimate children by the SAN, Oba Maduabuchi and his wife, Obiageli is a bigger mystery.

 

Nigerians, please help tell Oba Maduabuchi, SAN to stop holding Late Bob Elobuike’s 3 kids hostage. Oba Maduabuchi should release late Bob Elobuike’s 3kids to Bob Elobuike’s family.

 

Signed:
Friends of Late Bob Elobuike

 

Comrade. I. A. Kalzeeni (F O B.)

Human Rights Activist.