Uche Ibeto, the veteran Nigerian singer, who is popularly known as the “Jigida Queen,” has cried out for help.
She cried over her eviction from her Surulere home in Lagos, lamenting that she has been squatting from place to place since she was illegally evicted on August 15, 2025.
Ibeto, who also lamented that her health has been negatively affected, alleged fraud, conspiracy, and illegal court execution between her elder sister, land grabbers, a senior police officer, and the court in the process that has left her homeless.
In a press statement issued in Lagos, the 70-year-old singer lamented her current ordeal, stating that she has been moving from one place to another since the incident.
“At my age, being over 70 years of age, I should be enjoying the dividends of my labour of love as a senior citizen, but that is not the case,” she said.
“Since the 15th day of August, 2025 that I was unjustly driven out of my home, I have been perching from one place to another at my age and time in life.”
Ibeto explained that her late mother, Mrs. Esther Uche Ibeto, who died intestate in 2013, was the owner of the property located at No. 36 Ibezim Obiajulu Street, Off Marsha Road, Surulere, Lagos.
She recounted that she had lived there with her mother for over five decades until her death.
According to her, despite letters of administration granted to her two elder sisters, Laura Okoh and Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe, by a court in Lagos, the Surulere property was excluded from the estate they were authorised to manage.
She alleged that a purported sale of the house to one Cecil Ezem Osakwe, whom she accused of being a land grabber, was carried out without her knowledge or involvement.
“To my surprise, on Friday, 15th day of August, 2025, at about 6:00am, my residence was invaded by some policemen, thugs and sheriffs of the High Court of Lagos State who broke into my residence and apartment and informed me that they came to levy execution on my mother’s said property on grounds of a judgment delivered on the 10th day of July, 2025 by His lordship Hon. Justice Adewunmi-Oshin of the High Court of Lagos,” she recounted.
Ibeto alleged that the court case (Suit No: LD/9481GCM/2025) between Cecil Ezem Osakwe vs. Laura Okoh & Ifeoma Stella Ilodibe excluded her and the tenants from the proceedings, even though she was a direct beneficiary of the property.
The singer said she was forcefully thrown out of the house by over 50 policemen and thugs.
The veteran singer appealed to authorities, including 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 (NJC), to intervene in what she described as a grave injustice.
“I need to return to my home and resume my life,” Ibeto said in an emotional appeal.
