What began as a family disagreement over the estate of the late Dr Tanko Baba Abdullahi has taken an increasingly personal and troubling turn, with the heirs alleging that people involved in the court-supervised administration of the estate are now being caught up in an Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) investigation.
A court-appointed valuer has reportedly been detained; a purchaser of one of the estate properties has also allegedly been taken into custody; homes were searched and phones were seized for forensic examination, according to the petition submitted by some of the heirs to the National Assembly (NASS).
This is even as the EFCC has declined to comment on the issue.
LEADERSHIP contacted the EFCC operative mentioned in the petition, Hamza Abdulllahi and the agency spokesperson, but got no response from them.
The petitioners, concerned sons and daughters of the late Tanko Baba Abdullahi, in a petition filed by Jet Attorney, alleged that the development has left participants in the estate process worried about their safety and the fate of transactions they believed were being conducted under the court’s authority.
At the centre of their complaint is Abdullahi, one of the heirs and an officer of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The petitioners allege that Abdullahi’s position within the commission has been used in connection with the prolonged family dispute and ask the National Assembly to examine whether the EFCC’s investigative powers are being deployed independently or have become entangled in the inheritance dispute.
According to the petition, problems started when late Tanko Baba Abdullahi died in April 2022, leaving behind properties and other assets to be shared among his beneficiaries.
Initially, family members, traditional authorities and elders reportedly attempted to resolve the administration of the estate within the family, but disagreements over the identification, valuation and distribution of the assets persisted.
The dispute eventually found its way to the Upper Area Court, Kubwa, Abuja, through Suit No. CV/92/2024, after one of the beneficiaries sought judicial intervention.
The court subsequently assumed a supervisory role in the administration of the estate.
A court-appointed firm, Hassan and Hassan Consulting, was engaged to value properties, while beneficiaries were given opportunities to exercise their right of first refusal before some properties were offered for sale to third parties.
The petitioners say they and other beneficiaries participated in the process, either personally or through their lawyers, and that substantial numbers of heirs accepted the court-supervised arrangement.
According to the petitioners, the situation became particularly disturbing when the court-appointed valuer and at least one purchaser became subjects of an EFCC investigation.
They allege that the individuals were detained, their homes searched, and their phones seized for forensic examination before they were released on bail.
The petitioners have approached the House Committee on EFCC, asking it to intervene and refer the matter to EFCC chairman, Ola Olukoyede, for an impartial review.
They want the commission to ensure that any investigation involving the estate is based on evidence and is not influenced by the competing interests of beneficiaries.
They are also asking that legitimate purchasers and professionals involved in the court-supervised process be protected from intimidation or unnecessary disruption.
