Court presses lawyer over drafting of late Akindele’s disputed 2017 Will

A Lagos High Court on Monday, November 3, 2026, cross-examined senior lawyer Soji Awogbade over how the disputed 2017 Will of late billionaire industrialist Chief Labode Oladimeji Akindele was prepared. The hearing before Justice T. A. Anjorin-Ajose focused on the instructions the deceased allegedly gave and whether records backed them up.

Questions over instructions and drafts

Senior Advocate of Nigeria Dr Kemi Pinheiro cross-examined Awogbade, a senior legal practitioner and former partner at AALEX. Awogbade told the court that the Will was prepared after personal consultations with the late industrialist. Pinheiro challenged that account. He asked how the instructions were received, what corrections were made to drafts of the document, and how the final version was eventually approved.

The lawyer also pressed Awogbade on whether any documentary records existed to support those consultations. He noted that the deceased was described as a meticulous businessman who paid close attention to important documents.

Family protocol and constitution in focus

The court also examined the relationship between a family protocol referenced in the 2017 Will and a separate Family Constitution dated October 14, 2018. Questions arose about the origin of both documents and their legal significance in governing the Akindele family estate. The distinction between executors named under the Will and trustees envisaged under the broader family governance arrangements also came under review.

The case was filed by Oladipo Alade Akindele, the deceased’s first son, who is contesting the validity of the Will and the manner in which the estate is being administered. Among his objections are alleged defects in the Will’s execution, uncertainty about its date, and the absence of a Family Protocol he says was referenced in the testament. He also argues that the Will failed to properly capture some of Chief Akindele’s significant assets, including properties in the United Kingdom and a family residence in Spain known as Nigerian House.

Defendants insist Will is valid

The defendants have rejected these claims. They insist the Will was validly executed. They maintain that the Family Constitution was duly completed between October and November 2018 and that physically attaching it to the Will was not required to establish its validity.

The court had earlier ordered that the estate be placed under the Lagos State Administrator-General while the dispute is resolved. That order followed the dismissal of an application to strike out the claimant’s suit. Letters of Administration were then issued and served on the relevant parties.

Chief Akindele died aged 88 on June 29, 2020. He built business interests spanning maritime services, fishing, finance, real estate and international investments, including through the Fairgate Group and Madandola Group. Related probate proceedings are also ongoing in the United Kingdom.

Pinheiro is leading the claimant’s legal team alongside Mayowa Owolabi of Pistis Partners LLP. The defendants are represented by Ebun Sofunde, SAN. Cross-examination of Awogbade is scheduled to resume on November 19, 2026.