A major legal storm has hit the family of late former Oyo State Governor, Otunba Christopher Adebayo Alao-Akala, as his first daughter, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has approached the Oyo State High Court seeking a court-ordered DNA test on seven individuals named as the deceased’s biological children.
In a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12, Ring Road, Ibadan, under motion number I/443/2024, Mrs. Alao-Aderinto is also asking the court to grant permission for the exhumation of her father’s remains from his private mausoleum in Ogbomoso to enable sample collection for the DNA analysis.
Through her counsel, renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Oladipo Olasope, the plaintiff is demanding that the tests be conducted at an accredited medical facility approved by the court. She also requested that the results be submitted directly to the presiding judge in a sealed envelope for pronouncement in open court.
The seven individuals listed in the suit include herself, Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a current member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.
This legal move marks a significant escalation in the ongoing inheritance dispute that has plagued the Alao-Akala family since the former governor’s death on January 12, 2022. The internal rift burst into the open in October 2022 when Kemi Alao-Akala and one Olamide Alabi reportedly secured Letters of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without notifying or involving Oluwatoyin.
In her affidavit, Oluwatoyin accuses the duo of hijacking control of her father’s multi-billion naira estate through “manipulated information” and unlawful exclusion. She insists that her legal action is aimed at achieving transparency and fairness for all rightful heirs—both acknowledged and unacknowledged.
The estate in question is said to include sprawling real estate in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, Ghana, the UK, and the US, luxury vehicles, international hotel holdings, and several local and foreign currency bank accounts.
Oluwatoyin, who described the current handling of the estate as a “winner-takes-all” affair, insists that without DNA verification, there can be no credible or just distribution of the late governor’s wealth.
The current arrangement,” her court filing states, “is built on uncertain paternity claims and lacks any form of scientific authentication. This jeopardizes the true intention of fairness in inheritance.”
In a public notice issued in August 2023, her legal team had warned that continued exclusion of the first daughter from the estate’s administration could fuel deeper divisions within the family and tarnish the late governor’s legacy of public service.
The case is now widely seen as a potential landmark in the enforcement of inheritance laws and the use of DNA evidence in succession disputes in Nigeria. Legal analysts say the outcome could set a precedent for future cases involving high-profile families and complex claims to large estates.
Justice Taiwo is expected to set a hearing date in the coming weeks as public interest in the legal drama continues to grow.
