…Stepmother allegedly barred siblings from property, ignore court orders
…Children cry out for public Intervention
.. Emirs C’tee allegedly biased
By Our Correspondent
Battle over inheritance has broken out between family members of late former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Alhaji Saidu Gidado Idris, with some of his children accusing their stepmother of allegedly denying them access to their father’s property and ignoring court orders.
Speaking on behalf of his siblings, one of the late Idris’ sons, Saidu, alleged that since their father’s death in 2017, they had been barred from entering his Abuja residence to take inventory of his belongings as prescribed under Islamic law.
“We, the seven siblings from our late mother’s side, have not been allowed into our father’s room to see his Will or property documents. This is contrary to Islamic injunctions. It is clear to us that there is injustice and inhumanity here,” he alleged.
According to him, an initial court ruling awarded the late SGF’s Aso Drive residence in Abuja and another house at Coronation Crescent in Kaduna to their stepmother.
Dissatisfied, the siblings appealed and secured a judgment granting them properties in Zaria, but those assets were later, allegedly sold by their stepmother.
He said the court subsequently ordered her to compensate them with ₦185 million, a judgment allegedly flouted to date.
The aggrieved siblings said efforts to resolve the matter outside court also collapsed. “I contacted General Abdulsalami Abubakar, who involved the Emir of Zazzau to set up a committee. But the committee was biased and could not resolve the dispute. They even offered us land along Kaduna-Zaria road, but we rejected it. Our father gave us properties before he died, yet our stepmother sold them all,” he claimed.
He added that although they have since withdrawn the case from court, they are now appealing to the public and rights groups to intervene.
“Our father was a just and gentle man. He couldn’t have died without leaving a Will. We believe it is locked in the room we have been denied access to. We want Nigerians to know the truth, because this injustice is painful. We need prayers, sympathy and intervention. It appears our stepmother is above the law,” he said.
The Upper Sharia Court in Kaduna reportedly ruled in 2020 that the stepmother should pay the children ₦185 million, but according to the complainants, she has refused to comply.
The late Idris was survived by one wife and 12 children. His family consisted of three wives , one deceased, one divorced, and the surviving widow at the centre of the current controversy.
As at the time of filing this report, efforts to reach the stepmother for her reaction were unsuccessful.
