Veteran Nollywood actress Patience Ozokwo has responded to claims that she unlawfully seized a piece of land belonging to a widow and her daughter.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced online, showing the 66-year-old woman and her daughter accusing Ozokwo of forcefully taking over land allegedly left to them by their late husband and father.
The emotional account sparked widespread reactions and divided opinions on social media.
Addressing the situation on Tuesday via her Instagram page, Ozokwo refuted the allegations and shared her side of the story. According to her, she legally acquired the land in question 15 years ago.
“In 2010 – 15 years ago, I bought a piece of land,” she wrote. “The land owner was aware of the sale. In fact, she was the one who approached my agent to help her find a buyer.”
She further explained that the current dispute began when the widow resold a portion of the land in 2024 without her consent. Upon learning of this, Ozokwo took immediate action.
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“I got information, went and fenced my land,” she said.
The actress alleged that the widow and her daughter turned to social media with false accusations to tarnish her reputation and exploit public sympathy.
“This is blackmail, fraud and malicious intent. I am marvelled that they could viciously lie and castigate me for their own selfish intent. They are using my name to trend and get pity from people,” she said.
According to her, some members of the public had already started donating money to the women and attacking her online without knowing the full context.
“I see that their plans are working because some people are donating to them and calling me unprintable names,” she wrote.
Ozokwo expressed her frustration with bloggers who published the allegations without verifying the facts and revealed that she is taking legal steps to defend herself.
“As social media is not a court, I am pursuing legal means to vindicate my name because it took years to build and is my source of livelihood. There is so much more that I could have done, but I chose to let the law take its cause,” she added. “Now I say to you ‘Meet Me in Court’.”
She ended her statement by thanking her supporters: “Thank you to everyone who reached out to me on this incident. I appreciate you all.”
