It has emerged that the late Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of Access Holdings Plc, Herbert Wigwe reported owns 106 properties in London, the United Kingdom capital.
This is based on a report published by The Londoner newspaper. The report, titled: ‘Revealed: The billionaires who really own London’, uncovers secret overseas owners of 32,000 real estate across the city.
The publication said it was able to uncover the owners of the assets because a “recent change in the law is forcing these foreign companies to register their real owners”.
The report said 2,224 of London’s most expensive and recognisable properties are all registered by companies located in St Helier, Jersey, a British Island that has morphed into a notorious tax haven.
The late Wigwe was ranked seventh on the log with 106 properties to his name. Ahead of Wigwe are John Corless, Sarah Bard, Simon Reuben, Alexander Bard, Rit Thirakomen, and Wolfgang Peter Egger.
On February 9, 2024, Wigwe, his wife and son, as well as the former group chairman of Nigerian Exchange Group Plc (NGX Group), Abimbola Ogunbanjo lost their lives in a helicopter crash in California near the Nevada border.
All six passengers on board were pronounced dead in the aftermath of the crash.
Since Wigwe’s passing, his family has reportedly been embroiled in litigation over his estate. The Punch had reported in February 2025 that the father of the late banker, Shyngle and his cousin, Christian, filed an appeal to challenge a ruling by the Lagos state high court in the dispute over an estate belonging to Wigwe.
