Madonna University, one of Nigeria’s premier Catholic institutions, is now at the center of a bitter and complex struggle for control—one that reaches far beyond academic politics. At the heart of this unfolding drama is Professor Martin Osita Anagboso, the university’s Deputy Vice Chancellor (Administration), who stands accused of manipulating official records to wrest ownership of the university away from the religious order that founded it. As the university’s ailing founder, Rev. Fr. Professor Emmanuel Edeh, battles with the effects of age-related illness, powerful forces within the institution appear to be moving swiftly to claim control—setting off alarms not just within the Church but across Nigeria’s academic and regulatory circles.
Prof Anagboso, is said to have manipulated official documents of the University at the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) in an effort to assume control of the university and other institutions tied to its founder, Fr. Edeh.
Documents obtained from the CAC reveal a series of changes made to the ownership and governance records of Madonna University Nigeria Limited by Guarantee. These changes, allegedly orchestrated by Prof. Anagboso, have triggered serious concern within the religious order that originally founded the university—the Congregation of the Fathers of Jesus the Saviour. According to multiple sources close to the university’s internal operations, the alterations were carried out during a period in which the university’s founder, Rev. Fr. Edeh, was down with illness.
Prof. Anagboso allegedly took advantage of the founder’s declining health to insert himself into key positions of control across institutions associated with the priest. Among the most significant moves was the alleged transfer of ownership of Madonna University to the Edeh Onovo Foundation—a body chaired by Prof. Anagboso.
A review of the CAC’s public record system shows that Anagboso is now listed as a director of Madonna University, a development that directly contradicts the long-established proprietary role of the Fathers of Jesus the Saviour. In addition, he reportedly engaged the services of a private lawyer to remove the name of the existing company secretary, Dangana Saleh, from CAC records. In his place, Festus Ukpe Esq. was appointed as company secretary.
In response, the Congregation wrote a formal petition to the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission in January 2025, accusing Prof. Anagboso of fraudulently altering the legal and ownership status of the university. Despite this, the CAC has, to date, taken no public action in response to the complaint. The Church has also written to the National Universities Commission (NUC), affirming that it remains the legitimate proprietor of Madonna University and that all changes made without its knowledge or approval are null and void.
One source familiar with the matter described the events as a systematic effort to transfer institutional control away from the Congregation to a foundation under Prof. Anagboso’s direct influence. The source claimed that the Deputy Vice Chancellor had originally presented himself as acting in the interest of the Church, only to then reassign control of the university from the Congregation to the Edeh Onovo Foundation.
Further complicating the issue is the timing and sequence of the changes. In September 2024, the Church learned that Prof. Anagboso had listed himself as a Guarantor of the university at the CAC. They raised objections, and his name was removed from the records on September 18. However, while Church officials were observing the Christmas holiday in December 2024, Anagboso allegedly returned to the CAC and, through his lawyer, orchestrated a series of changes to the university’s corporate documents.
On December 20, 2024, the existing company secretary, Dangana Saleh, was removed and replaced with Festus Ukpe. Four days later, on December 24, Anagboso was registered as a director of Madonna University. The Church claims that these changes were carried out without its consent or knowledge.
When the Congregation discovered the new filings, it wrote to the CAC again, reiterating its objection to any change in the university’s ownership or governance. In a formal resolution dated January 18, 2025, and signed by the Superior General, Very Rev. Fr. Jude Okenyi FJS, and the Secretary, Fr. Cyriacus Emedolu FJS, the Church insisted that the university remains its patrimony and that any transfer to another body was illegitimate.
The resolution read in part: “That the Corporate Affairs Commission should be informed to suspend, disregard, and discountenance any documents requesting the Commission to transfer the proprietorship of Madonna University Nigeria from Fathers of Jesus the Saviour to Edeh Onovo Foundation. That Madonna University Nigeria has been established as patrimony of the Fathers of Jesus the Saviour to the Holy See and any alteration will compromise the process of canonical erection which is currently ongoing.”
The document concluded that all documents filed with the CAC or any other regulatory body without the express consent of the Congregation were “revoked in their entirety and should be treated as void.”
As of August 25, 2025, the CAC’s records continue to reflect the changes made in December 2024, suggesting that the agency has not reversed the alterations despite the formal objections filed by the religious order. This inaction has raised broader questions about possible internal collusion within the Commission. Church sources have called on the National Security Adviser to authorize the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to extend its investigation into the CAC, describing the silence of the regulatory body as an act of “economic sabotage.”
The scandal surrounding Prof. Anagboso is not limited to the university alone. He has previously come under scrutiny for his involvement in Mayfresh Mortgage Bank Limited, another institution tied to Rev. Fr. Edeh. The EFCC has reportedly questioned Anagboso over allegations of illegal share transfers and manipulation of bank ownership documents.
In December 2024, just weeks before the changes at Madonna University were allegedly filed, reports surfaced that Anagboso had been under investigation for attempting to claim ownership of significant shares in Mayfresh Mortgage Bank through questionable legal processes. Church officials maintain that Mayfresh is owned by the Church and that no individual, including Prof. Anagboso, has the right to claim personal ownership of its shares or assets.
In July 2025, the EFCC reportedly detained Prof. Anagboso at Abuja airport while en route to an academic conference abroad. He was released after questioning, but the incident drew national attention. Sources close to the matter claim that he attempted to use his influence over the ailing founder, Fr. Edeh, to pressure his relatives to withdraw their criminal complaints.
Despite these events, there has been pushback from some within the university system who claim that the actions of Prof. Anagboso were done with the knowledge and blessing of the founder. In February 2025, both Anagboso and Sister Annette Ezekwem, another senior university official and close adviser to Fr. Edeh, filed a defamation lawsuit seeking ₦5 billion in damages from those accusing them of forgery and illegal manipulation of corporate records.
Sources noted that the case is emblematic of a broader power struggle between the religious proprietors of the university and its top management. The tension is further complicated by the frailty of Fr. Edeh, whose declining health has left a vacuum in leadership and allowed competing interests to assert control over his legacy institutions.
Madonna University, once a Nigeria’s first Catholic university, long held a reputation for spiritual discipline and academic rigor, the university’s future now hangs in the balance.
The Congregation of the Fathers of Jesus the Saviour asserts that the university is more than a private educational enterprise—it is a canonical institution tied directly to the mission of the Catholic Church. The Congregation maintains that it has not relinquished its legal or spiritual ownership of Madonna University and remains committed to restoring its rightful control. The group insists that any documents submitted to the CAC without its knowledge are invalid, and that any attempt to shift ownership to another foundation undermines not only the law but the Church’s authority.
Recall that on November 5, 2024, Olu Omotayo Esq., an Enugu-based lawyer, formally petitioned Nigeria’s Department of State Services to arrest and prosecute several officials of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and staff of Madonna University. The allegations center on conspiracy to steal company shares and falsify documents related to Mayfresh Mortgage Bank.
The petition, dated November 5, 2024, was submitted on behalf of Chief Steven Edeh, Mr. John Paul, and Mrs. Maria Omego. Omotayo accused CAC officials of violating Section 14(1) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention) Act 2015, specifically concerning computer-related fraud, and called for their prosecution.
Copies of the petition, titled “Urgent Need to Investigate Stealing of Shares and Tampering with Companies Records by Unscrupulous Elements at the Corporate Affairs Commission as These Constitute a Threat to National Development and Investments,” were also forwarded to the National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Director-General of CAC.
Omotayo had previously filed two similar petitions with the CAC Director-General on September 28 and October 27, 2024, highlighting the alleged theft of shares belonging to Chief Steven Edeh, Mr. John Paul, and Mrs. Maria Omego by insiders in collusion with CAC officials.
He warned that such tampering with shareholdings represents a serious sabotage against Nigeria’s corporate governance and could deter investors from the country.
Following these petitions, Rev. Fr. E.M.P. Edeh, Registrar General of the CAC, convened a meeting on October 8, 2024, aimed at resolving the dispute. Omotayo and the affected shareholders attended, during which it emerged that Professor Martin Anagboso, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Madonna University, Elele, alongside Annette Ezekwem and others, allegedly altered company records to suppress demands for repayment of a ₦4 billion loan obtained by the university from Mayfresh Mortgage Bank.
Omotayo claims the loan was partially diverted into the personal accounts of Ezekwem and Anagboso, a fact allegedly supported by transaction records from Mayfresh Mortgage Bank’s Elele branch.
Further compounding the controversy, a recent CBN investigation identified an alleged ₦30.15 million fraud involving Mayfresh Mortgage Bank’s acting Managing Director, Mr. Mark Egbegolu, and directed the immediate recovery of all loans advanced to Madonna University. Omotayo lamented that officials within the CBN’s Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department delayed action on the report until shareholders’ complaints prompted the Governor’s intervention.
The petition also alleges that on November 4, 2024, Mrs. Maria Omego was detained during a meeting in Elele, coerced into withdrawing her complaint, and forced to draft a retraction letter dictated by Festus Keyamo, SAN — legal counsel to Prof. Anagboso and associates. Omotayo condemned this act as an assault on due process and called for the withdrawal letter to be dismissed by the CAC.
Invoking the Companies and Allied Matters Act 2020 (as amended), Omotayo emphasized that share transfers require the explicit consent of owners, noting that none of his clients authorized the alleged transactions. He characterized the conduct of CAC officials as “brigandage” and “economic terrorism” that threatens Nigeria’s development and investor confidence.
Supporting his claims, Omotayo attached the CBN report highlighting how bank managers involved in the fraud simultaneously borrowed public funds through the university — underscoring a glaring conflict of interest.
Efforts to reach Prof. Anagboso, Annette Ezekwem, and Mr. Egbegolu for comment were unsuccessful as they neither answered calls nor responded to messages at the time of publication.
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