A bitter inheritance battle over the estate of former Oyo State Governor Adebayo Alao-Akala has laid bare the vast wealth accumulated by the late politician, with properties spanning Lagos, Abuja, Ibadan, New York, Essex in the United Kingdom, and a five-star hotel in Ghana at the centre of a courtroom dispute.
The controversy is playing out at an Oyo State High Court, where Alao-Akala’s first daughter, Oluwatoyin Alao Aderinto, has filed a suit challenging the management of her late father’s estate. Named as defendants are Oluwakemi Alao-Akala and Olamide Alabi, whom she identified as those currently in control of the estate.
Aderinto told the court that as the deceased’s first child, she is entitled to a share of the inheritance but alleged that certain properties had already been disposed of without her knowledge, while plans were afoot to sell or enter business transactions involving other assets — all without her consent or involvement.
Urging the court to act with urgency, she warned that any further delay could expose her to irreversible losses. The court responded by issuing an order freezing all transactions involving estate properties pending the determination of the case.
In a dramatic development, Aderinto also requested that her father’s body be exhumed to facilitate DNA testing aimed at establishing the biological relationships between herself and six other individuals, including Olamiju Alao-Akala. She asked that the tests be conducted in an accredited laboratory, with results submitted directly and confidentially to the presiding judge, to remain sealed until formally presented in open court.
The estate in contention is considerable in scope. Court documents list an array of assets including residential homes, land, filling stations, and commercial businesses spread across multiple Nigerian cities, in addition to properties in New York and Essex, and the hotel in Ghana.
Alao-Akala, who governed Oyo State, died on January 12, 2022, at the age of 71 in Ogbomoso. Family disagreements over the distribution of his estate have persisted since his passing.
The court has adjourned the matter to April 16, 2026, when it will rule on the pending requests, including the contentious application for exhumation.
Listed among the assets being disputed are:
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
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