Abducted Daughter Rescued And Returns To Family In The U.S After 10 Years

By Usman Lawal

For nearly a decade, a father’s relentless fight for his daughter’s custody finally came to an end as law enforcement officials enforced a court-backed judgement to reunite him with his child. The case, which began with the tragic loss of his wife in 2015, spiraled into a complex legal battle involving multiple court rulings, high-profile legal representation, and an unwavering resistance from the child’s maternal family.

Uche Nnaji’s ordeal began after the tragic loss of his wife, Ifeoma, three months after she gave birth to their third child. The couple had built a stable life, providing the best for their family. Devastated by her passing, Uche accepted his mother-in-law’s offer to care for the newborn temporarily, believing it would help him cope with the loss of his late wife. However, this decision sparked a decade-long battle for his daughter’s return. Despite his love and support for his wife and in-laws, grief quickly turned into an unexpected fight to reclaim custody of his child.

Shortly after Uche handed over his three-month old baby to his in-laws and her American passport, the maternal family began making grave accusations against him, alleging that he was responsible for their daughter’s death. Despite medical records proving otherwise, the accusations persisted, leading to a bitter feud. The tension reached its peak when the wife’s family refused to allow Uche to bury his late wife, going as far as seizing her corpse and preventing him from burying his wife. Legal proceedings ensued, and after prolonged court processes, both parties reached a settlement, agreeing to forgo an autopsy and move forward with the burial.

“The actual legal battle commenced when Mr. Nnaji’s in-laws, Mr. Eddie Adigwe & Mrs. Maria Adigwe as 1st & 2nd claimants, respectively, engaged the firm of Festus Keyamo, SAN, who filed a civil action at the Lagos High Court with suit no. LD/1200GMCW/2015, sometime in December 2015, against Mr. Nnaji as 1st defendant, Inspector General of Police as 2nd defendant, the AIG zone 2, Lagos, as 3rd defendant, Commissioner of Police Lagos as 4th defendant, and Mortuary Facility Group as 5th defendant, praying for millions of Naira as compensation for their daughter’s death amid many other requests.

Though the issue of the autopsy has since been put to rest upon the court’s intervention and mediation, that the issue of the release of the child be stepped down until after the burial of Uche’s late wife, and pursuant to the terms of the settlement dated 11th of November, 2016, freely adopted by the parties, which Honorable Justice Harrisson adopted as a consent judgment. Having amicably resolved the issue of the autopsy and burial of the late Mrs. Ifeoma Nnaji, in compliance with the said consent judgment, the late Mrs. IfeomaNnaji was finally laid to rest with her remains buried at the vaults and garden at Mayfair Gardens, Lekki–Epe Expressway, Lagos, on Friday, 9th of December, 2016,” Barrister Adeniyi, counsel to Uchesaid.

Determined to reunite with his daughter, Uche Nnaji filed his defense with counter-claims in reply to the suits filed by his in-laws to court, winning multiple custody rulings in his favor. Despite these legal victories, the Adigwe family remained defiant, appealing every judgment. They enlisted several prominent lawyers, including Nigeria’s current Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, SAN. However, after reviewing the case, Keyamo withdrew, citing a lack of merit. Undeterred, the in-laws hired at least seven other law firms to challenge Uche’s custody rights. Yet, each ruling reaffirmed his parental rights. Despite repeated court orders, the Adigwes refused to comply, prolonging Uche’s struggle and deepening the legal battle.

“The Adigwe’s had filed another action before a family court in suit no. LD/352PMC/2016 before Hon. Justice Idowu (now of blessed memory) seeking the custody of the three (3) children between Mr. Nnaji and his late wife. By way of response and in a counter-move, Mr. Nnaji had filed suit no. LD/370PMC/2016 before Hon. Justice Obadina, raising a preliminary objection against the suit filed by the Adigwe’s and seeking an order for the release of his biological daughter, Miss Chigozie Sharon Nnaji, abducted by Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe. Both suits were consolidated, and final judgments were delivered by Hon. Justice Obadina in both suits on the 6th of August, 2020, dismissing the application of Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe and granting him sole custody of all three children of the marriage of Mr. Nnaji with his late wife and also ordering the immediate release of Miss Chigozie Nnaji to her father, who, in the court’s findings in collaboration with assessors from the Lagos State Ministry of Social Welfare, found and held that Mr. Nnaji was better positioned and fit in all ramifications to have custody of the children,” according to Barrister Adeniyi.

As the legal battle dragged on, Uche made a significant move—relocating to the United States with his two other daughters. While he built a new life abroad, the absence of his youngest child remained a painful void. Every legal triumph was met with defiance from his in-laws, further complicating efforts to reunite with his daughter.

His two older daughters also suffered emotional breakdowns due to the separation from their sister. Every day, throughout the decade of their sister’s absence, they struggled to understand why their sibling could not be with them in America. They lived with a deep sense of loss for losing their mum at tender ages and being unable to comprehend the circumstances that kept their sister away from them.

For Uche and his daughters, the trauma was unbearable. He knew he could provide his abducted daughter in Nigeria with the best love, care, affection, and education in the U.S., yet his in-laws withheld her, not because they could offer her a better life, but seemingly to punish him. Despite their inability to provide the care and comfort he wished for her, they refused to let his daughter, deepening his emotional suffering, after the painful loss of his wife.

After nearly a decade of legal battles and resistance from his in-laws, Uche decided to take action. Despite failed attempts to resolve the matter through family and friends, he couldn’t move forward without his daughter in his life. Now rebuilding a new family in the U.S., he refused to lose his last connection to his late wife. Armed with court judgments in his favor, he petitioned the Nigeria Police to reclaim custody. Though he knew it would be a tough fight, he was determined to ensure his daughter lived under his roof, not someone else’s.

According to Uche’s lawyer, Barr. Adeniyi: “As co-defendants in the legal cases instituted by the Adigwes and particularly in Mr. Nnaji’s counterclaim, where he sought an order for the release of his daughter, the Nigeria Police had no option but to abide by the court’s decisions and allow the rule of law to prevail. Under our law, taking custody of any child without the parents’ consent is unlawful, apart from the immorality of the act. Specifically, Section 24 of the Child Rights Law provides accordingly that:

“No person shall remove or take a child out of the custody or protection of his father or mother, guardian, or such other person having lawful care or charge of the child against the will of the father, mother, guardian, or other person.”

It has also become imperative to refer to section 371 (2) of the Criminal Code Act of Nigeria, which criminalizes the abduction or denial of access of a father or mother or legal guardian to their child, and such an act is a felony and punishable with 14 years’ imprisonment. The said provision goes thus:

“Any person who, with intent to deprive any parent, guardian, or other person who has lawful care or charge of a child under the age of twelve years, of the possession of such child, or with intent to steal any article upon or about the person of any such child—(1) forcibly or fraudulently takes or entices away, or detains the child; or (2) receives or harbors the child, knowing it to have been so taken or enticed away or detained, is guilty of a felony and is liable to imprisonment for fourteen years.”

Therefore, with a carefully executed intervention, the Nigeria Police under the watchful eyes of agents of the Lagos State Social Welfare eventually put an end to a painful and prolonged dispute, when they carefully picked up Uche’s daughter on her way to school and returned her to him as the rightful guardian. While the in-laws continue to fight fiercely to retain custody, the law ultimately upheld the father’s parental rights, ensuring that the child was returned to him. While his in-laws have gone a media rampage to tarnish his image and concoct lies against him, Uche has remained forthright and continued to toe the paths of peace and the rule of law in ensuring he reunites his daughter with her older siblings. Chigozie has since returned with her Father to the U.S and now bonding with her family.

On February 1, 2025, Uche was shocked to hear his former in-laws, Mr. & Mrs. Adigwe, on 99.3 FM Nigeria Info falsely accusing him of murdering his wife and kidnapping his daughter. The emotional appeal won public sympathy, prompting donations and calls for his arrest. By February 3, Uche was placed on an immigration embargo. Desperate to clear his name, he engaged his lawyer, who presented legal evidence proving his innocence. The station granted Uche a fair hearing on February 8, exposing the Adigwes’ lies. Public opinion swiftly turned against them, making their propaganda campaign disastrously backfire.

Though victorious in his fight, Uche’s battle was one marked by deep personal loss. The years of separation had stolen precious moments he should have shared with his daughter—her first words, first steps, and the formative years of her childhood. Yet, as he finally embraces the child he fought so hard to reclaim, the victory offers a sense of closure and a chance to rebuild the bond that was unjustly severed.

The case underscores the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring that court judgments are respected and enforced. It also highlights the emotional and psychological toll of custody disputes, not just on the parents involved, but on the children caught in the crossfire.

As Uche and his daughters embark on this new chapter together, the hope remains that their bond will strengthen and that the years of separation will be healed with love, patience, and understanding.

While legal battles may come to an end in courtrooms, the real journey of reunification and healing begins in the hearts of those who have been wrongfully kept apart.