Herbert Wigwe’s daughter Otutochi, drags her late dad’s British Virgin Islands company to court to sell the $6.5M (N8.7 billion) luxury yacht

Herbert Wigwe’s daughter Otutochi, drags her late dad’s British Virgin Islands company to court to sell the $6.5M (N8.7 billion) luxury yacht

Otutochi Channel Uzoamaka Wigwe, daughter of the late Access Holdings former Group Chief Executive Officer, Herbert Onyewumbua Wigwe, has approached the High Court of Justice of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) to secure control of a company holding a luxury yacht belonging to her late parents.

The yacht, named Chitochi, was reportedly the sole remaining asset of Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd., a BVI-registered company jointly owned by Herbert Wigwe and his wife, Doreen Chizoba Wigwe, before their deaths.

According to court documents exclusively obtained by SecretsReporters, the company was struck off the BVI Register of Companies and dissolved on November 5, 2024, over non-payment of its annual fees.

The legal proceedings initiated by Otutochi and Uchechukwu Nwabueze Wigwe, identified in the filings as an intended administrator and a cousin-in-law of the deceased couple, respectively, sought to secure the necessary authority to preserve the company’s shares and facilitate the eventual sale of the yacht.

Herbert Wigwe and Doreen died on February 9, 2024, in a helicopter crash. The court filings stated that both were domiciled in Nigeria at the time of their deaths and jointly held all the issued shares in Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd., with both serving as the company’s only directors.

The company was incorporated in the British Virgin Islands on March 7, 2012, under registration number 1699812.

The documents described Chitochi as a luxury yacht and a depreciating asset requiring significant maintenance and care to preserve its value. They further stated that maintenance and insurance expenses continued to accumulate, putting the estates at risk of financial loss.

The vessel is a 2016 Custom Line 108 measuring 33 metres in length. It was based in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and had been listed for sale by American yacht brokerages at an asking price of $6.5 million.

Otutochi and Uchechukwu initiated three separate court proceedings between January and February 2026 in connection with the estates and the company.

The first claim, numbered BVIHCOM2026/0032, was filed on January 6, 2026, in relation to Doreen Wigwe’s estate. The second, BVIHCV2026/0004, followed on January 15, 2026, concerning Herbert Wigwe’s estate.

In both applications, the claimants sought emergency grants of administration limited to collecting and securing the shares held in Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd. for the benefit of the respective estates.

The requested grants were intended to allow their names to be entered into the company’s register of members, enabling them to exercise the rights attached to the shares and preserve the estate’s value while arrangements for full grants of letters of administration were being made.

The applications were filed with certificates of urgency, and the court subsequently granted the requested limited authority. According to the third claim, the applicants received a Grant of Letters of Administration ad colligenda bona defuncti on January 22, 2026, following orders made by Justice Theresa Hadad on January 15, 2026.

The third claim, numbered BVIHCOM2026/0068, was filed on February 2, 2026, against the Registrar of Corporate Affairs. Acting as joint administrators of the two estates, Otutochi and Uchechukwu asked the court to restore Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd. to the Register of Companies under the BVI Business Companies Act, 2004.

The application was supported by an affidavit from Uchechukwu Nwabueze Wigwe and an affirmation from Otutochi Channel Uzoamaka Wigwe.

The claimants stated that Global Corporate Consultants Group, Inc., the company’s former registered agent, had agreed to resume the role following restoration. They also undertook to submit the company’s register of members, register of directors and beneficial ownership information within 14 days of restoration.

Additionally, they agreed to pay the restoration fee, outstanding government licence fees and penalties, as well as the legal costs incurred by the Registrar of Corporate Affairs. They stated that they were unaware of any person who would suffer prejudice if the restoration order was granted.

The three claims were linked to a proposed sale of Chitochi. According to the filings, an offer had been received at an attractive price, subject to the transaction being completed on or before January 31, 2026.

The documents explained that the yacht could not lawfully be sold while the company remained dissolved and the necessary authority to exercise the rights attached to its shares had not been secured. They maintained that Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd. first had to be restored to the register before the vessel could be legally sold or otherwise disposed of.

However, the restoration application was filed on February 2, 2026, two days after the stated deadline for completing the proposed transaction.

In March 2026, SuperYacht24 reported that yacht brokerage firm IYC had announced the completion of Chitochi’s sale. The transaction was handled on the seller’s side by Mark Elliott, an IYC sales and charter consultant. Before the sale, the yacht had been listed at $6.5 million.

The BVI proceedings constitute a separate legal matter from the disputes over Herbert Wigwe’s estate in Nigerian courts, where members of his extended family challenged arrangements under his will but were unsuccessful.

While the Nigerian proceedings centred on disputes surrounding his estate and will, the BVI cases focused on preserving the shares in Grosvenor Marine Ventures Ltd. and addressing the legal status of the offshore company holding the luxury yacht.