Veteran singer Jigida Queen appeals for help after losing her Surulere home.
She alleges fraud and illegal court action led to her eviction and seeks government intervention.
Veteran Nigerian singer Uche Ibeto, popularly known as the “Jigida Queen,” has appealed for help after being evicted from her long-time residence in Surulere, Lagos. She said she has been moving from one place to another since August 15, 2025, when she was forced out of the home, adding that the experience has taken a toll on her health.
Ibeto alleged that fraud, conspiracy, and an unlawful court execution involving her elder sister, land grabbers, a senior police officer, and some court officials resulted in her losing the property. According to her, the Surulere house at No. 36 Ibezim Obiajulu Street, Off Marsha Road, originally belonged to her late mother, Mrs. Esther Uche Ibeto, who died in 2013 without leaving a will. The singer said she had lived in the house with her mother for more than five decades until her death.
She explained that although letters of administration were granted to her sisters Laura Okoh and Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe by a Lagos court, the Surulere property was not part of the estate they were legally allowed to manage. She accused the sisters of selling the property to one Cecil Ezem Osakwe without her consent, describing him as a land grabber.
Ibeto recalled that on August 15, 2025, at about 6 a.m., police officers, thugs, and sheriffs from the Lagos High Court entered her apartment and informed her they were enforcing a judgment delivered in July 2025. She said she and the tenants were excluded from the case between Cecil Ezem Osakwe and her sisters, even though she is a direct beneficiary of the property. She also alleged that more than 50 policemen and thugs forced her out of the building.
The veteran artist has appealed to the Lagos State Government, the Inspector General of Police, the Attorney General of the Federation, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Assembly, and the National Judicial Council to intervene. “I need to return to my home and resume my life,” she said.
