Alleged Forgery Stalls Reading of Olanipekun Adesina’s Will

Sunday Ehigiator

A prolonged family dispute over the estate of the late Prince Emmanuel Olanipekun Adesina, a former Senior Manager at United Bank for Africa (UBA), has stalled the reading of his will at the Lagos State High Court, amid allegations of forgery, fraud and bitter intra-family rivalry.

At the centre of the controversy is Kolawole Adesina, son of the deceased, who has petitioned the court to allow the probate registry unveil his father’s will, which he says was lawfully deposited at UBA for safekeeping before his death in 2006. 

The effort, however, has been repeatedly delayed following objections by other interested parties, citing allegations of forgery and ongoing disputes.

Prince Adesina, who was married to the late Mrs. Frances Omorolaun Adesina, had two children; Kolawole and Adenike Oluwabunmi Adesina-Kupolati. 

With both children living abroad for many years, the couple reportedly took in a nephew, Franklin Erinle, who later assumed a prominent role in managing the family’s affairs, particularly as the late banker’s health deteriorated and he became blind.

Kolawole alleged that during this period, and after his father’s death, some family members took advantage of the situation to misappropriate investments and properties belonging to the estate. 

He claimed that following his father’s passing, he was excluded for years from accessing his father’s personal effects or fully participating in discussions about the estate.

In 2009, Letters of Administration were issued by the High Court to administer Prince Adesina’s estate, with properties in areas such as Ikeja and Iwaya reportedly shared among family members. 

Kolawole, however, maintained that several assets remained unaccounted for.

The dispute deepened in 2022 when Mrs. Adesina fell ill and later died in April of that year. 

According to Kolawole, while caring for his ailing mother, he gained access to his late father’s locked room for the first time in over a decade and discovered documents suggesting forgery, unlawful sale of properties and disappearance of estate assets.

Further controversy emerged during the reading of Mrs. Adesina’s will, where assets previously listed under the father’s estate reportedly resurfaced. 

Kolawole also raised concerns that Erinle, who was not an administrator of his father’s estate, was named an administrator in his mother’s will.

A key development came when a longtime family caregiver reportedly produced a sealed letter dated 2002, allegedly written by Prince Adesina, indicating that a will had been lodged with UBA. 

Subsequent inquiries by lawyers, Kolawole said, confirmed that the bank had indeed held a will deposited in January 2006, contradicting earlier claims that the deceased died intestate.

Questions have also been raised over the role of the family’s legal advisers, Adedoyin Awosanya & Co, who facilitated the Letters of Administration, amid allegations that they may have been aware of the existence of the will.

Kolawole’s quest has not been without personal consequences. In February 2023, he was attacked with acid by unknown persons shortly after a reported peace meeting with family members. 

He was also arrested and detained for about a week at Kirikiri Correctional Centre over allegations of threats and malicious damage, charges which were later dismissed by the court for lack of diligent prosecution.

Despite the discovery of the will, efforts by the Probate Registrar to read it have been stalled following objections from lawyers representing Adenike Adesina-Kupolati, Afe Babalola & Co, who argue that the document is “highly suspicious” and subject to further scrutiny.

Kolawole has insisted that the will should first be read in open court, noting that any aggrieved party retains the right to challenge it thereafter. 

For now, the impasse continues, prolonging the legal battle and leaving the fate of Prince Adesina’s estate unresolved nearly two decades after his death.