Crisis in Alao-Akala’s family deepens as daughter wants court to order father’s body exhumed for DNA test on siblings

Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, has approached an Oyo high court in Ibadan, seeking an order for a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test to determine the paternity of her siblings.

Six individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased governor are involved in the matter.

The suit with motion number I/443/2024, Alao-Aderinto, which was filed through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope, is also seeking a directive of the court for DNA tests to be conducted on herself and six others – Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a current member of the house of representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.

She wants the tests to be carried out at a court-approved, accredited laboratory to establish their biological relationship with the late politician.

To this end, the applicant also wants remains of the late politician, who died on January 12, 2022, at the age of 71 in Ogbomoso, exhumed to conduct the paternity tests and the results be submitted under seal to the presiding judge and only unsealed for pronouncement in open court.

The administration and distribution of the estate of the former governor had been hampered by family dispute.

The substantive suit was filed against Kemi Alao-Akala, wife of the deceased, and Olamide Alabi, one of the individuals said to be his daughter.

The two are accused of obtaining a letter of administration over Alao-Akala’s estate without proper consent, raising concerns about the mismanagement of the estate and excluding other legitimate children from benefiting from the assets of the deceased.

Alao-Aderinto is asking the court to declare the letter of administration obtained by the defendants as illegal, null, and void. She is also seeking a perpetual injunction restraining them from further selling, transferring, or disposing of any part of the late governor’s assets.

In an affidavit filed in support of the motion, Alao-Aderinto accused the defendants of excluding other heirs from the estate and manipulating information to take sole control of the deceased’s properties.

The huge estate in contention comprises properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States as well as a five-star hotel in Ghana, several vehicles, and multiple bank accounts, which contains uge amount of money, including hundreds of naira and foreign currencies.