By Adetutu Audu
A legal battle has erupted over the estate of late Nigerian industrialist and Parakoyi of Ibadan, Chief Labode Oladimeji Akindele, as his son challenges the validity of his father’s Will and asks the court to declare it invalid.
The suit is before Justice Tanimola Ajorin-Ajose of the Lagos State High Court, having been filed by Oladipo Alade Akindele, who identifies himself as the deceased’s seventh biological child and first son. Chief Akindele died on Monday, 29June, 2020.
The claimant alleged that he was excluded from his father’s funeral arrangements and obituary despite being his biological son, and was not invited to the Monday, 17 August, 2020 reading of the Will.
He also alleged that a Family Protocol or Constitution repeatedly referenced in the Will was missing from the certified copy and original document, and that the date of execution was altered from Wednesday, 5 August, 2015 to Friday, 5 May, 2017 without proper authentication.
He further raised questions over inconsistencies, drafting errors and the signatures of the attesting witnesses, alleging that the Will failed to adequately identify the deceased’s extensive assets, including properties and investments in the United Kingdom and Spain.
He contended that the Will lacked due execution and testamentary capacity and should not be used to administer the estate.
He is asking the court to invalidate the Will, restrain the defendants from administering the estate under it, appoint the Administrator-General of Lagos State to temporarily manage the estate, and order a comprehensive account of the deceased’s assets and transactions since his death.
The defendants, comprising members of the businessman’s family and associates, deny the allegations.
They acknowledge the claimant as the deceased’s biological child but contended that Chief Akindele had disowned him during his lifetime, an explanation they say accounts for his exclusion from family activities and the obituary.
On the disputed Family Protocol, the defendants say the document existed as the Sir (Chief) Olabode Oladimeji Akindele Family Constitution, dated October 14, 2018, and was duly executed by the deceased and other family members.
They argued it had been sufficiently incorporated into the Will and that its physical attachment was not necessary to make the Will valid.
They also deny wrongdoing over the Will-reading process, explaining that attendance was restricted by the Probate Registry and that beneficiaries living abroad were not invited because of short notice.
Trial began on July 3, 2026, though substantive evidence on the disputed Will and estate is yet to be fully presented.
The case is expected to carry significant implications for Nigerian probate and inheritance law, given the size of Chief Akindele’s estate and the fundamental questions raised over the validity and interpretation of his Will.
The matter has been adjourned to September 28, October 7 and October 8, 2026, for continuation of hearing.
