Battle over estate of late Alao-Akala deepens as Daughter seeks DNA, exhumation
By Adejayan Gbenga –
A fresh legal battle has erupted within the family of late former Oyo State Governor, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, as his first daughter, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has filed a suit at the Oyo State High Court seeking a court-ordered DNA test on seven individuals named as the deceased’s biological children.
Alao-Aderinto is also requesting an order for the exhumation of her late father’s remains to enable a paternity test to be conducted.
In the suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the High Court, Ring Road, Ibadan, with Motion Number I/443/2024, the applicant, through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope (SAN), asked the court to direct that DNA tests be carried out on herself and the following siblings: Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.
She further prayed the court to ensure the tests are conducted at a court-approved, accredited laboratory to determine the biological relationship between the listed individuals and the late governor.
As part of the reliefs sought, Alao-Aderinto is also asking the court to order the exhumation of Otunba Alao-Akala’s remains from the mausoleum built in his Ogbomoso country home.
She proposed that the results of the DNA tests be submitted in a sealed envelope and delivered directly to the presiding judge for pronouncement in open court.
The application follows a prolonged family dispute over the late politician’s vast estate, which became contentious following his death intestate on January 12, 2022.
The estate is reported to include multiple properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with a five-star hotel in Ghana, luxury vehicles, and several bank accounts containing large sums in naira, dollars, and pounds sterling.
