Barrister Randie Ukawoko has raised serious concerns over alleged threats to his life and that of his family, following his ongoing legal battle with the Abia State Government.
Speaking to journalists from an undisclosed location, Barr. Ukawoko disclosed that since his return to Nigeria from the United States where he travelled for medical reasons, he has been receiving persistent threatening phone calls and messages from unknown numbers. According to him, the callers have been pressuring him to withdraw a lawsuit he instituted against the Abia State Government.
The legal practitioner further alleged that the threats escalated recently and precisely on the 30th of December 2025, when his Security man informed him that at about 7.35pm, four unidentified men, driving an unmarked black Hilux stopped his gate and one of them descended from the vehicle, looked into his premises and rejoined the rest and they sped off. Around 11. 32 pm on that day, the same group stormed his residence but this time in a white unmarked Hummer bus and the same man who came earlier demanded to see him, he told him that his boss was in Lagos, he inquired about one of his cars and he told him it was at the mechanic for repairs. He said the men refused to identify themselves when questioned his security personnel, insisting instead that they had an “urgent” matter to discuss with him. Sensing danger, his security man declined to open the gate, after which the men reportedly sped off.
Barr. Ukanwoko linked the alleged intimidation to his legal action against the Abia State Government over the demolition of Abia Hotels Ltd and the destruction of it’s movable assets including, livestock, fisheries, and other valuable investments. He maintained that the demolition was carried out in defiance of a valid court process which was duly served on the government and despite a subsisting 25 years legally binding agreement between his company and the state government executed in 2013.
The property, he said, was lawfully concessioned to Investment Guarantee Ltd, a company in which he has interests, and the action compelled him to seek redress in court, demanding compensation and restitution for the huge losses incurred.
Barr. Ukawoko confirmed that he has since formally reported the alleged threats to relevant law enforcement agencies, calling on security authorities to urgently intervene to protect his life and ensure the rule of law is upheld.
He feels pained the action of the Abia state government to order the sealing and subsequent destruction of his properties in the course of the said avoidable demolition and thererender him and 52 other young Abians unemployed and helpless.
He is using this medium to appeal to whosoever is behind this heinous threat to desist and allow the court process to run it’s course. From the onset, he was never averse to the government retaking the property but let it be carried out with due process in line with the extant provisions of the Development Lease Agreement.
According to him, it is highly pitiable that he is going through this horrendous experience because he invested in his state of origin and on a property abandoned the government for over 15 years. Today he has lost everything and is fighting for his safety in his state.
Barr. Ukanwoko is also using this medium to alert the public and appeal for protection of his life and family from security agencies in Umuahia in particular and Abia State in general.
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