According to her, Mr. Chibueze, formerly known as Nnamdi Igboanuzue, changed his surname more than 15 years ago after what she describes as sustained hostility from relatives.
A widow in Anambra State, Mrs. Ebere Chibueze, has accused her late husband’s relatives and their associates of a decade-long pattern of intimidation, harassment, property fraud, and actions she claims contributed to his death.
Mr. Nnamdi Chibueze died on October 5, 2025, from complications related to kidney failure.
In a detailed petition and press statement made available to SaharaReporters on Monday, Mrs. Chibueze alleged that her husband’s brothers, Sunday Edwin Igboanuzue and Rowland Anazodo Igboanuzue, alongside Lagos-based businessman Sunday Okechukwu Samuel Ijezie, repeatedly weaponised the police to intimidate her family, obstruct access to property documents needed for medical fundraising, and frustrate attempts to sell a commercial shop that could have funded her husband’s overseas treatment.
According to her, Mr. Chibueze, formerly known as Nnamdi Igboanuzue, changed his surname more than 15 years ago after what she describes as sustained hostility from relatives.
She alleged that he was “externally excommunicated” from family affairs in 2010 after resisting pressure from his brother, Sunday Igboanuzue, to eject his wife and children from their Lagos residence.
“This was the beginning of coordinated intimidation and abuse of police authority against my husband. He lived in fear for years,” Mrs. Chibueze alleged.
She further claimed that her husband was arrested multiple times on petitions allegedly engineered by his relatives, including one filed from Abuja accusing him of kidnapping and armed robbery.
She described the allegations as false and aimed at destroying his reputation. According to her, one such detention triggered medical complications.
“After one of the detentions in Abuja, my husband developed partial stroke from shock. From there, his health declined until complicated diabetes and kidney failure led to his passing,” she stated.
The widow also referenced business disputes she claims were orchestrated to cripple her husband financially. One involved a warehouse and imported goods at Lagos’ Balogun Market, and another concerned a shop purchased in 2012 at ASPAMDA, Lagos, allegedly from Mr. Ijezie. She said Ijezie failed to produce the title documents after claiming they were destroyed in a fire.
According to her, the disputed documents later resurfaced, with Mr. Ijezie and Mr. Sunday Igboanuzue allegedly demanding an apology letter and a ₦3 million payment before releasing them. She said her husband, desperate to fund a kidney transplant abroad, complied, writing the apology and issuing a cheque reportedly still in the custody of the Special Fraud Unit (SFU), Ikoyi, yet the documents were never released.
“His life depended on that sale. The obstruction denied him a chance at treatment abroad,” she claimed.
She alleged the obstruction contributed directly to the death of her husband, stating she wants the authorities to investigate potential criminal liability.
Following her husband’s death, she claimed the tensions escalated. Two days before the scheduled burial on November 7, 2025, police officers from Oraifite Division allegedly stormed her parents’ home and arrested her 70-year-old mother on accusations she killed her son-in-law.
Mrs. Chibueze said the arrest was filmed and circulated in the community to humiliate her family and discourage attendance at the burial.
She also alleged that a traditional elder demanded ₦1.5 million to perform rituals before the burial, which she refused to allow her children engage in.
Mrs. Chibueze said petitions have been filed at Force CID Awka and SFU Ikoyi over issues including fraud, perjury, intimidation, and obstruction of justice. She accused certain officers of withholding her case file despite official instructions for its transfer.
“My children and I are living in fear. If anything happens to us, hold Sunday Edwin Igboanuzue, Chidolue Kester Igboanuzue, Rowland Anazodo Igboanuzue, and Sunday Ijezie responsible,” she asserted.
She appealed to the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to order a full-scale investigation and, if necessary, prosecute anyone found culpable.
In response, Azuka Nwokoye, Nnamdi’s elder half-brother, speaking on behalf of the family, said the conflict arose from years of strained family relations.
“Nnamdi was quiet and gentle, but unfortunately he experienced deep conflict for many years,” Nwokoye stated.
He confirmed that the family rift began in 2010 after a serious disagreement between Nnamdi and Sunday Igboanuzue. He said the fallout led to Nnamdi being excluded from family activities and eventually changing his surname to Chibueze.
He also noted that his own branch of the family later stopped identifying as Igboanuzue, adopting the lineage name Nwokoye to signify the separation.
Nwokoye said that during his brother’s illness in 2025, Nnamdi made clear that he did not want Sunday or his faction of the family involved in his medical care or burial arrangements.
“He said on many occasions that if he passed away, he did not want his body taken to that section of the family or for them to be involved,” he said.
He also confirmed attempts to stop the burial, including police intervention and the arrest of individuals connected to the funeral arrangements, which he described as “distressing and unnecessary.”
Nwokoye said he could not independently verify the widow’s allegations regarding business dealings, financial disputes, or police misconduct, but supports full investigation.
“If there are petitions before the police or Inspector-General, we support a full and transparent investigation so the truth can be established. This situation is painful. We want dignity and due process,” he added.