By Chris Onuoha

Ikeja High Court presided over by Justice Olokoba has advised the family of late Monsignor Sylvester Emmanuel Uwadineke Osigweh and the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta Diocese, Most Rev. Dr. Peter O. Odetoyinbo, to give serious consideration to resolving their probate dispute amicably and out of court.

Justice Olokoba gave this advice when the ‘Originating Summons’ filed by the late Monsignor’s family came up for mention before the court last week.

According to the court documents cited by our correspondent, the late Monsignor’s family is asking the court for an order, commanding or ordering the Probate Registrar to issue to them the ‘Letters of Administration’ in connection with the Estate of late Msgr. Osigweh which was at the point of sealing before the emergence of the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta as the Caveator;

Also, that the Bishop of Abeokuta, not being a blood relation of the late Monsignor is an interloper who has no locus in the estate of late Msgr. Osigweh, and that the applicants who are whole blood relations of the late Monsignor are the rightful beneficiaries of his estate.

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The counsel to the Osigweh family, Sebastian Barth Ozoana and that of the Catholic Bishop of Abeokuta, Peter Adesemowo, later agreed that the matter be adjourned to January 28, 2021 for Report of Settlement.

Meanwhile, the late Msgr. Osigweh, until his death, was the Spiritual Director, Jesus is Love and Power Catholic Healing Ministry, based in Ifo, Ogun State, and was retired as the Diocesan parish priest of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Ifo, Ogun State.

As a Diocesan Priest, he was involved in many personal initiated projects for the host community as a service to humanity.

This culminated in numerous established viable projects which the community and the Catholic Church in entirety benefited from.

However, the late Msgr. Osigweh, according to the family counsel, fell under a secular category in the Catholic community as a diocesan priest which enables him to own personal assets.

With what seems like a tilt in the Catholic Canon law precepts by the Bishop, depriving family members access to the said assets, the family deemed it wise to seek a resolution of the matter by heading to court.

Vanguard News Nigeria