News
Alao-Akala’s daughter demands DNA tests as family fight over multi-billion Naira properties
The children and wife of late former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao Akala, are literally at daggers drawn over the properties left behind by their father.
The current feud is as a result of a dispute over Alao Akala’s estate. So bad is the situation that it has escalated into a full-blown legal battle, prompting a court to halt all transactions involving his properties.
One of Alao Akala’s children, Oluwatoyin Alao Aderinto has filed a suit challenging how the estate is being managed following her father’s demise at the Oyo State High Court. She is also seeking for DNA tests involving herself and six other individuals, including a federal lawmaker, to establish biological ties to the deceased.
The court granted an interlocutory injunction restraining the wife of the deceased, Mrs Oluwakemi Alao-Akala and other family members who are parties in the ongoing dispute over the estate of the late former governor from selling, disposing of or entering into any form of transaction on the contested properties pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The order followed an application filed by the first daughter of the late governor, Oluwatoyin Alao Aderinto, who approached the court as claimant/applicant in Suit No. I/443/2024, seeking judicial intervention over the administration of the estate of the deceased politician.
Joined as defendants/respondents in the suit are Oluwakemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, listed in the court processes as executors and administrators of the estate of the late former governor.
Ruling on the motion on notice for an interlocutory injunction, the court granted the relief sought by the claimant, thereby restraining the defendants, their agents, servants, assigns, privies or any person acting through them from selling or continuing to sell, disposing of, or entering into joint venture agreements in respect of properties belonging to the deceased pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.
In the case, she accused the appointed administrators — Oluwakemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi — of sidelining her in key decisions and proceeding with asset-related transactions without her approval.
Details presented before the court indicate that the former governor’s estate includes a wide range of high-value properties across major cities such as Lagos, Abuja, and Ibadan, alongside assets in the United Kingdom and the United States. A hospitality investment in Ghana also forms part of the estate.
Aderinto claimed that some of the assets had already been sold, while others were being considered for sale or business partnerships, raising concerns about transparency and fairness in the estate’s administration.
She urged the court to intervene swiftly to protect her interests, warning that continued dealings could permanently affect her entitlement.
Ruling on the matter, the court ordered a temporary freeze on all transactions linked to the estate, barring the administrators from selling, transferring, or entering agreements involving any of the properties until the dispute is resolved. The court also directed that the case be fast-tracked.
She further requested that the court approve the exhumation of Adebayo Alao-Akala’s remains to facilitate the tests, with results to be handled confidentially and disclosed only during court proceedings.
The court is expected to rule on the request at the next hearing scheduled for April 16, 2026.
Since the former governor’s death in January 2022, disagreements over the control and sharing of his estate have continued to generate controversy within the family.
Below are some of the assets:
Residence at No. 1, Oba Akinyele Avenue, off Rotimi Williams Street, Old Bodija Estate, Ibadan
A five-star hotel in Ghana
Bungalow at Randa, Ogbomoso
Property at Opadoyin Lodge, Ogbomoso
Building at 32, Oba Adebimpe Road, Ile Itesiwaju, Dugbe, Ibadan
Property at No. 8, Samora Machel Street, Asokoro, Abuja
Property in Games Village, Abuja
Twin duplex in Ikeja, Lagos
No. 4, George Street, Ikoyi, Lagos
Duplex beside Iponri Barracks, Surulere, Lagos
Plot at Water Corporation Drive, Oniru, Lagos
Guest house in Agodi GRA, Ibadan
Plots 1–4, Aerodrome GRA, Samonda, Ibadan
7,000 acres of land beside Ibadan Golf Club
No. 29, Osuntokun Avenue, Bodija Estate, Ibadan
Five-bedroom bungalow at Cele Bus Stop, Ologuneru, Ibadan
Property at Old UAC Building, Dugbe, Ibadan
Guest house at YOACO, Ogbomoso
Destiny House, Oremeji, Mokola, Ibadan
Destiny House, Ogbomoso
Deborah House, Sabo, Ogbomoso
Storey building at Starlight, Ogbomoso
Eternal Mega Filling Station, Ogbomoso
TDB Filling Station, Ogbomoso
Building beside Eternal Filling Station, Ogbomoso
NIPCO Filling Station beside A.K. Bello, Ogbomoso
TDB Gas Plant, Aroje, Ogbomoso
Land opposite LAUTECH, Ogbomoso
Parrot FM, Oke Bebi, Ogbomoso
Warehouse and farm in Ogbomoso
Land in GRA, Ogbomoso (held in care of Demola Alao)
140-23 160th Street, Jamaica, Queens, New York, USA
19 San Juan Drive, Chafford Hundred, Grays, Essex, England
1,000 acres of land at Ikoyi, Ogbomoso (including proposed site of Alao-Akala College of Health Sciences and Umera Farms)
Olowolagba Microfinance Bank.
News
Iran slams US blockade as ‘grave violation of sovereignty’
Iran slammed a US blockade around its ports on Monday as a “grave violation” of its sovereignty, as Washington and Tehran’s belligerent rhetoric rattled a fragile truce.
“The imposition of a maritime blockade constitutes a grave violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations Amir Saeid Iravani wrote to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, in a letter seen by AFP.
The “unlawful” blockade also “constitutes a serious violation of the fundamental principles of the international law of the sea,” Iravani added.
US President Donald Trump ordered a blockade of ships entering or leaving Iranian ports and coastal areas in the Gulf Sunday, following the failure of peace talks over the weekend, warning that any Iranian attack boats that challenged the blockade would be destroyed.
The blockade came into force at 1400 GMT Monday, despite the United States and Iran agreeing to a two-week ceasefire days earlier, with mediator Pakistan and Gulf state Qatar continuing calls for it to be respected as diplomatic efforts continue.
Guterres on Monday called on “all parties” to respect freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz, after Iran and subsequently the United States blocked passage through the critical waterway.
The strait, through which a fifth of global oil and gas flows, has become a key flashpoint as the US and Iran attempt to gain leverage over each other during ceasefire negotiations.
Iravani said the “unlawful” blockade “poses a grave threat to international peace and security and obviously exacerbates the risk of escalation in an already highly volatile region.”
In a second letter, the UN envoy called on Middle Eastern countries hosting US military bases to “cease their internationally wrongful acts.”
Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan should pay “compensation for all material and moral damage sustained,” he said.
News
El-Rufai distances self from comments on political aspirations attributed to associate
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has distanced himself from recent media reports linking him to certain political aspirations, saying the comments were made without his knowledge or authorisation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by his Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai said the remarks had been attributed to an unnamed individual described in media reports as his political associate, and that he had no hand in them.
“Malam Nasir El-Rufai wishes to dissociate himself from comments regarding political aspirations which have been attributed to someone described by the media as a political associate,” the statement read.
“He did not authorise such comments.”
The disclaimer pointedly underscored El-Rufai’s reputation for speaking his mind directly, with the statement noting that he had been known throughout his public life for the frank articulation of his views.
“He is not about to outsource the expression of his political views and thoughts to others,” the statement added, warning that any future communication from the former governor would come directly from him or through his designated spokesperson.
El-Rufai did not identify the associate in question, nor did the statement specify the nature of the political aspirations that had been reported.
However, the swift and emphatic denial suggests the former governor was keen to prevent any impression that the comments reflected his current political thinking or intentions.
JAMB declares readiness for 2026 UTME, urges parents to protest admission violations
The disclaimer comes amid heightened political activity ahead of the 2027 general elections, a period in which the positions and affiliations of prominent political figures are under intense media and public scrutiny.
El-Rufai, a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and two-term governor of Kaduna State, remains one of the most closely watched political figures in northern Nigeria.
His next political move — including which party platform he may adopt ahead of 2027 — has been a subject of widespread speculation.
News
Police arrest three over theft, vandalism of Yobe TV transformer
The Yobe State Police Command said its operatives have arrested three suspected vandals involved in the destruction and theft of transformer components belonging to Yobe State Television at Garin Alkali Booster Station.
The Command, through its Public Relations Officer, SP Dungus Abdulkarim, disclosed this in a statement issued on Tuesday in Damaturu.
According to the Command, the arrest was made on April 14, 2026, by its operatives stationed in Garin Alkali while acting on credible intelligence.
“The arrested suspects are Muhammad Auwali, a.k.a. Aburare, 51, Inusa Lawan, 53, and Hassan Ibrahim, 27, all of Bursari and Gashua axis, Bade LGA. One accomplice identified as Ozu, is currently at large.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspects criminally conspired and vandalised a transformer located at the YTV Booster Station, Garin Alkali, Bursari LGA.
“The suspects dismantled the transformer and sold part of the metal components”, it said.
The Command added that upon interrogation, the suspects confessed to the crime and admitted to selling some of the vandalised transformer parts to Hassan Ibrahim for the sum of N250,000, out of which N150,000 had already been paid.
“Investigation is in progress, after which the suspects will be charged in court for prosecution”, the police command said.
Commissioner of Police Usman Kamfani Jibrin, in the statement, warned scrap metal dealers against purchasing suspected stolen items and urged them to cooperate with security agencies in protecting critical public infrastructure.
He stressed that anyone found involved in such unlawful activities will be dealt with in accordance with extant laws.
-
News18 hours agoEx-Gov El-rufai to remain in detention until bail condition is fulfilled
-
News24 hours agoWAR: US, Israel ground Iran’s aircraft
-
News21 hours agoGbajabiamila lauds FCT Minister over landmark Hypercity-Carrefour deal(Photos)
-
News20 hours agoAccreditation begins as 3,000 delegates arrive at ADC national convention venue
-
News23 hours agoSupreme Court to hear appeals on PDP leadership crisis on April 20
-
News16 hours agoReps Halt Payments to ZTE Over CCTV Project, Demand Full Accountability
-
News16 hours agoJust in: ADC, fires Bala, Abejide, others as crisis escalates
-
Economy20 hours agoNaira gathers marginal momentum against US Dollar
