Oluwatoyin Alao-Aderinto, first daughter of the late former Oyo State Governor, Adebayo Alao-Akala, has filed a suit at the Oyo State High Court in Ibadan, seeking an order for a Deoxyribonucleic Acid test on seven individuals claiming to be biological children of the deceased.

Alao-Akala, who passed away in 2022, was a prominent figure in Nigerian politics and left behind a considerable portfolio of assets. The exhumation request has shocked family members, with some describing the move as “distasteful and unnecessary,” while others maintain that justice and truth must prevail.

Alao-Aderinto, in a suit filed before Justice Taiwo of Court 12 at the state High Court in Ring Road, Ibadan, the motion marked I/443/2024, details Oluwatoyin’s demand through her counsel, Oladipo Olasope (SAN) for a court-ordered paternity test to be conducted at an accredited laboratory.

The individuals named include herself, Olamide, Adebukola, Olamipo, Olamiju (a member of the House of Representatives), Tabitha, and Olamikunle.

The crisis, which has been brewing silently since his burial became public in October 2022 when the wife of the late former governor, Kemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, believed to be one of the deceased’s daughters, obtained a Letter of Administration from the Oyo State Probate Registry without the knowledge or consent of Oluwatoyin, the first child.

In her affidavit and accompanying exhibit filed in support of her motion, she accused the duo of manipulating facts to claim sole control over the estate, despite the presence of other biological children and heirs.

The estate in question is said to be massive, spreading across several properties in Ibadan, Lagos, Abuja, United Kingdom and the United States of America, including a five-star hotel in Ghana, vehicles and multiple bank accounts containing hundreds of millions in naira, dollars and pounds sterling.

The court has not yet ruled on the request, but legal experts say such cases though rare, are not without precedent, especially in inheritance battles involving influential families.