BUSINESSWigwe’s family raises suspicions over his death

The battle over the estate of the late  Access Bank CEO, Herbert Wigwe, has taken a dramatic turn, with his family raising fresh suspicions about his death and questioning the transparency of the estate’s management.

In a revealing interview with TV360, Wigwe’s sister, Dr. Joyce Wigwe, made startling allegations against Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, Herbert’s longtime business associate, accusing him of manipulating her brother’s will and obstructing full family involvement in the estate’s legal proceedings.

Beyond the will controversy, Dr. Joyce also casts doubt on the circumstances leading to her brother’s tragic helicopter crash, hinting at possible foul play and negligence.

Dispute over will and Estate control

Dr. Joyce Wigwe accused Aig-Imoukhuede of handling her brother’s will in a secretive and questionable manner, raising concerns about its authenticity and completeness.

She claimed that key family members, including their father, Pastor Shyngle Wigwe, were deliberately excluded from the reading of the will. According to Dr. Joyce, their 90-year-old father was sent abroad for medical treatment, which was, in hindsight,  a ploy to remove him from the scene before the will was read, only to receive an unexpected message from Aig-Imoukhuede stating, “We’re about to read the will.” According to her, this was the first time the family learnt of the document’s existence.

Herbert’s younger brother, Emeka Wigwe, who was also kept in the dark, questioned the exclusion but received no clear answers. Due to these concerns, he refused to participate in the proceedings. Despite the objections, the will was read in their absence.

When the family finally obtained a copy through legal means, they discovered that the will was only three pages long—a highly unusual length for an estate of Herbert Wigwe’s magnitude.

The will referenced a trust but failed to list any trust assets. There was no detailed breakdown of beneficiaries, and no supporting documents were attached,” Dr. Joyce, herself a lawyer, stated.

An even more alarming discovery was the existence of an 18-page version of the will filed in Florida, while only the three-page version had been submitted in Nigeria.

“Why wasn’t the full document filed in Nigeria?” Joyce questioned, implying that there was an effort to conceal key details.

“Further investigations revealed that a legal settlement had taken place in Florida, where Betty Blanco—initially named as a personal representative—was paid millions of dollars to step aside. The family had not been informed of this payout.”

When the document was later filed in Nigeria, Blanco’s name was removed, and a cousin, Uche Wigwe, was instead listed as a key figure in the estate. The will was subsequently filed for probate in Lagos, further raising concerns about its authenticity.

“If Herbert intended for this will to have general applicability, especially given that his primary residence was in Nigeria, he would have lodged it in Lagos. But it wasn’t,” Joyce pointed out.

Questions over Herbert Wigwe’s death

Beyond the controversy over the will,  Dr. Joyce also cast suspicion on the circumstances leading to her brother’s untimely death in a helicopter crash in the United States early last year.

“We also cannot ignore how all of this started. Herbert was not a major Super Bowl fan — he was more of a polo fan. What exactly made him take that trip? Who organized it? Why was a company that had previously been deemed negligent chosen for the travel arrangements?” Joyce asked.

According to her, Aig-Imoukhuede was responsible for organizing the trip, and she demanded to know why a company with a history of safety concerns had been selected.

“We understand that Aig-Imoukhuede was responsible for organizing the trip. Why did he select a company that had already been flagged for negligence?” she questioned, hinting at the possibility of foul play or a deeper conspiracy.

She hinted that the family was willing to ignore the circumstances surrounding Herbert’s death, especially the planning of the trip, but they are being compelled to revisit it because it all now looks premeditated.

Guardianship of Herbert Wigwe’s children disputed

One of the most contentious aspects of the estate battle is the guardianship of Herbert Wigwe’s children, including 25-year-old daughter, Tochi. Dr. Joyce expressed concerns over the decision to entrust estate management to someone so young, emphasizing that such a role requires significant legal and financial expertise.

She alleged that Tochi is being manipulated and kept away from her grandparents and other family members, raising questions about the influence of external parties.

“Tochi needs permission to even speak to family members. If Aig genuinely cared about these children, why is he preventing them from getting the best advice and support?” she asked. She alleged that since the incident, the family has not had any direct access to them and that even during the burial and funeral service, the sitting arrangement was changed, which kept the children away from them. This was also repeated during the first anniversary; the family was completely excluded. “It was the family that mooted the idea of an anniversary, and we informed them. But when we wanted to know what they were planning, an Access Bank staff told us that it doesn’t involve us, which, again, was unusual. How can you plan the anniversary without involving the family?  We were completely surprised when they arrived in our village at Isiokpo in Rivers State with a detachment of security agents in a long convoy with the children, and no family members invited. They drove past my father’s house to the University, where he was buried. How does anybody explain that?” she asked, incredulously.

Legal battle over Estate control

The family initially requested that legal proceedings remain private to protect the children from public scrutiny, but their request was denied, with the opposing party insisting on making the case public.

Dr. Joyce insists that the family is not trying to take anything from Tochi but merely wants transparency and accountability. She argues that, given the scale of Herbert Wigwe’s estate and the financial complexities involved, a more structured and informed approach is necessary to protect the best interests of his children.

Meanwhile, former Access Bank CEO Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede, who has been accused of tampering with the will and withholding vital information from the family, has yet to release an official statement addressing the issue.

As the legal battle intensifies, the Wigwe family remains steadfast in their demand for answers — both concerning the management of Herbert’s vast estate and the circumstances surrounding his tragic death.