Property dispute: Alao-Akala’s daughter seeks court order to exhume father’s body for DNA test on siblings

Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, first daughter of the late Adebayo Alao-Akala, ex-governor of Oyo state, has asked an Oyo high court in Ibadan to order a deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) test to determine the paternity of seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased governor.

In a suit filed with motion number I/443/2024, Alao-Aderinto, through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope, is seeking a court directive 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 carried out at a court-approved, accredited laboratory to establish their biological relationship with the late politician.

As part of her application, Alao-Aderinto is also seeking an order for the exhumation of her father’s remains to conduct the paternity tests. She asked that the results be submitted under seal to the presiding judge and only unsealed for pronouncement in open court.

Alao-Akala died on January 12, 2022, at the age of 71 in Ogbomoso. Since his passing, a dispute has emerged over the administration and distribution of his estate.

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 estate is said to include properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, Ghana, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

It also reportedly comprises a five-star hotel in Ghana, several vehicles, and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions of naira, dollars, and pounds sterling.