Inheritance Dispute: Laywer Disowns Petition To House Committee On EFCC Intervention

Jet Attorneys has disowned an alleged petition to the House Committee on EFCC on behalf of the ‘concerned sons and daughters of the late Engr. Tanko Baba Abdullahi demanding the intervention of the committee on the involvement of the anti-graft agency on a family dispute involving the members of the deceased over his estate.

The disclaimer, signed by C. Ogalagu and made available to LEADERSHIP, followed the publication of a report alleging that people involved in the court-supervised administration of the estate were being caught up in an EFCC investigation.

The report further alleged that the development had 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 EFCC.

The petitioners alleged that Abdullahi’s position within the commission had been used in connection with the prolonged family dispute and asked 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 the late 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.

However, Jet Attorneys, in an official disclaimer, reaffirmed its commitment to resolving the issue through legal means.

The disclaimer titled “Inheritance Dispute: EFCC Mum As Heirs Raise Alarm Over Alleged Pressure” reads “The attention of our firm has been drawn to a publication by Leadership news media outlet. In the said publication, it was ALLEGED that the Law Firm of Jet Attorneys wrote a petition to the House Committee on EFCC on behalf of the ‘concerned sons and daughters of Late Engr. Dr. Tanko Baba Abdullahi’ demanding the intervention of the committee concerning the involvement of the EFCC on a family dispute involving the members of the family of Late Engr. Dr. Tanko Baba Abdullahi over his estate. The said publication was made on 24 September 2026. Suffice it to place it on record without any equivocation that our firm did not author or present any petition before the House Committee on EFCC, as published, nor was our firm ever briefed by the said ‘concerned sons and daughters of Late Engr. Tanko Baba Abdullahi has also been equally published.

The said publication was also made without any consultation or authorisation from our firm or our client, who is not a member of the family of Late Engr. Dr Tanko Baba Abdullahi, who has never been involved in the family dispute. It is pertinent to state that the law firm of Jet Attorneys remains professional and believes in resolving issues through the proper legal channels rather than through this kind of publication.

“Thus, we herein demand that the publishers of the afore-stated news tender an unreserved apology to our firm and desist from further publication of any such news or drag our firm or client into a family dispute that we were never briefed to handle. We herein also warn that any further publication of this nature falsely attributed to our firm or our client will be duly addressed at the appropriate legal forum.