Alao-Akala’s First Daughter Seeks Court-Ordered DNA Test, Body Exhumation Amid Family Dispute

A deepening family dispute has erupted over the estate 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 in Ibadan seeking an order for DNA testing on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased.

In a fresh legal move, Alao-Aderinto is also requesting the exhumation of her father’s body from his mausoleum in Ogbomoso to facilitate the DNA test. The application, filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12, Ring Road, Ibadan, under Motion Number I/443/2024, calls for the paternity test to be conducted at a court-approved and accredited laboratory.

Through her legal counsel, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Oladipo Olasope, she is asking the court to mandate DNA testing for herself and the seven other individuals listed in the motion—Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a serving member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle—to establish their true biological relationship with the late governor.

Alao-Aderinto also wants the test results to be submitted in a sealed envelope and handed directly to the presiding judge for official pronouncement in open court.

This legal action adds a new twist to a festering family feud that traces back to October 2022. The controversy began when Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained Letters of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the governor’s eldest child.

According to Alao-Aderinto, this act was an unlawful exclusion that violated the laws of intestate succession and sidelined her rightful claims to the estate. In her affidavit, she accused the two administrators of deliberately manipulating facts to seize control of the estate, disregarding the existence of other biological children and dependents.

The estate in question is reportedly extensive, spanning several high-value assets, including properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, the United Kingdom, and the United States, as well as a luxury hotel in Ghana, multiple vehicles, and bank accounts with significant funds in naira, dollars, and pounds sterling.

Alao-Aderinto insists her motive is not just personal interest but a broader concern for justice and fairness. She argues that every legitimate heir, including extended family members and loyal aides of the late governor, should be recognized and catered for—unlike the alleged “winner-takes-all” approach of the current administrators.

Her legal team further contends that the inclusion of certain names and exclusion of others from the estate management lacks transparency and consensus on paternity, prompting the demand for a scientific resolution through DNA testing.

In a public letter dated August 2023, her counsel warned that excluding the governor’s first daughter not only breaches legal standards but could also damage the family’s unity and the legacy of the late governor, who died intestate on January 12, 2022.

As the legal battle unfolds, the court is expected to weigh in on whether to permit the exhumation and DNA testing, a decision that could reshape the future of the high-profile estate dispute.