By BANNERNEWS Reporter, Calabar
A Family Court sitting in Calabar has ordered that an eight-year-old boy remain in the custody of the Cross River State Ministry of Social Welfare, pending the resolution of a dispute between his parents.
Presiding judge, Justice Blessing Egwu, gave the directive during proceedings in suit No. HC/FC/13/2026, effectively extending the interim custody arrangement for another one month.
The case involves Mr. Edmund Oka Ujong, a Deputy Registrar in the Cross River State Judiciary, as applicant, and Ms. Wofai Bassey Etim as respondent.
Both parties are locked in a custody battle over the child, with each accusing the other of abduction. The couple also have two other children together.
At the resumed hearing, both parents urged the court to grant them custody of the boy.
However, the court expressed displeasure with counsel to both parties over last-minute filings, noting that fresh motions submitted on the eve of the hearing stalled proceedings.
Justice Egwu warned against such practices, saying they hinder the court’s ability to take substantive steps in the matter.
Counsel to the respondent said their motion, filed on March 30, was to enable them respond adequately, adding that a counter-affidavit had been served while they sought time to review processes before the court.
Similarly, counsel to the applicant, James Ibor, told the court they filed a motion on the same date, seeking extension of time to address new issues raised in the case.
Pending determination of the suit, the applicant’s counsel urged the court to allow the child remain in the custody of the Social Welfare Department.
In her ruling, Justice Egwu upheld the interim arrangement, directing that the child remain in the care of the Ministry of Social Welfare.
The court also granted both parents access to the child at least twice weekly, subject to conditions set by the Welfare Department.
The matter was adjourned to April 28, 2026, for continuation of hearing.
