December 08, (THEWILL) – The dispute among the children of late Ohinoyi of Ebira land, Alhaji Mohammad Sani Omolori who died on July 10, 1996 has taken a new turn as 26 of his children, led by 81-year-old Hajia Salamatu Sani, have called for the intervention of Governor Usman Ododo of Kogi State in the property dispute that has lingered for many years.
In the letter, signed by the surviving children, they demanded justice in sharing their father’s estate. They told Ododo that one of their siblings, the former clerk of the National Assembly, Ataba Sani Omolori, failed to allow a fair sharing formula for their father’s inheritance. They said despite their best efforts to resolve this issue amicably, they have unfortunately reached an impasse.
Before the 8th day Fidau prayer of the late Ohinoyi, his briefcase was stolen, and in the briefcase were documents of his properties as well as some precious stones: gold, diamonds, and others.
The children claim that their brother, Ataba Sani was responsible for the theft of the briefcase and despite agreeing to return the briefcase with the documents intact, he failed to uphold his promise.
After one year of struggle to bring him to the table but to no avail, a resolution was reached to involve a lawyer. Later, the family then decided to seek justice at a Sharia Court in 2022. The judge, Ado Muktar, struck out the case and transferred it to the Grand khadi. The Grand khadi called a meeting which Ataba Sani honoured.
A committee of 12 family members was set up and Sani Ataba agreed to honour the committee’s decision before the grand khadi. However, he declined two invitations by the committee and didn’t honour the committee’s resolution.
The Grand Khadi then sent the case back to court but at this juncture, the family already lost hope in the Sharia Court. This prompted them to seek the intervention of Ododo. Their late father had at least seven lands in Abuja: Maitama, Asokoro, Katampe, Mabushi, and others.
The theft of these lands and their father’s contract agreements, amongst other issues, created an impasse, making it nearly impossible to properly share his properties. Meanwhile Ataba Sani on his part has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, equally seeking her intervention and accusing his siblings of insincerity.
Ivory Ukonu is a versatile journalist with many years of experience, with entertainment and society reporting as her area of core competence.
