A Lagos-based man, Mr Kolawole Adesina, has sought judicial intervention over what he described as prolonged delays in the reading of his late father’s will, a situation he said has worsened a long-running family dispute and stalled the proper administration of the estate.
Adesina, son of the late Prince Emmanuel Adesina, a former senior manager at the United Bank for Africa, said efforts to have the will formally read at the Lagos State High Court had been repeatedly frustrated by objections and counterclaims from other interested parties.
He explained that his father died in 2006 after a prolonged illness and, in the absence of a known will at the time, the estate was administered under Letters of Administration issued in 2009 on the assumption that the deceased died intestate.
Prince Adesina was married to the late Mrs Frances Adesina, and the union produced two children, Kolawole and Adenike Adesina-Kupolati.
Kolawole said that while he and his sister lived abroad for several years, a nephew, Mr Franklin Erinle, lived with their parents and assisted their father, particularly during his period of ill health.
He alleged that concerns later arose over the handling of some aspects of his father’s affairs during that period and after his death, adding that he was unable for years to access personal belongings or obtain clear information on transactions linked to the estate.
According to him, the situation took a new turn in 2022 when his mother became critically ill, prompting his return to Nigeria, where he said he discovered documents in his father’s room that raised questions about estate-related transactions.
Following the death of Mrs Adesina in April 2022, he said he was surprised by the contents of her will, which he alleged included assets earlier covered by the Letters of Administration issued for his father’s estate, and also questioned the appointment of an administrator who was not previously involved.
Kolawole further disclosed that a former caregiver later produced a sealed letter allegedly written by his father in 2002, indicating that a will had been deposited with UBA, a claim he said was later confirmed by the bank through correspondence in January 2006.
He said the matter remained unresolved as the scheduled reading of the will was delayed after objections by lawyers representing his sister, who reportedly questioned the document’s authenticity and sought further investigation, stressing that his only demand was for an open and lawful process.
Adesina added that the prolonged dispute had taken a personal toll on him, citing security and legal challenges that arose during the disagreement, some of which were later struck out by the court.