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Names of dead Nigerians with unclaimed estates, assets published by UK
•An Estate in UK
Mark N’wogo (as written in an official document), was a Nigerian said to have been born in Sapele, Delta state, and died on December 9, 1992 in Surrey, United Kingdom but for almost 30 years now, the assets he left behind have remained unclaimed. By December, they would become forfeited to the British government.
He was said to have served in the Navy, which listed his year of birth as 1926, and having an undisclosed relative in Sapele, but neither this person nor any others have come forward to claim the assets left behind by the deceased (whatever value they may have now).
BusinessDay analysis of data by the UK government, through the list of unclaimed estates held by the Treasury Solicitor and last updated on September 8, 2022, identified N’wogo among 56 Nigerians officially recorded to have died in the United Kingdom in the last 30 years and their assets still unclaimed. The values of these estates are not disclosed but only available information about their deceased owners.
A familiar name on the list is a certain Victor Adedapo Olufemi Fani-Kayode, said to have died on August 15, 2001 in Birmingham, with the informant on his death listed as the Birmingham City Council.
The Treasury Solicitor publishes a list of unclaimed estates which have been recently referred, but not yet administered, and historic cases which have been administered but not yet been claimed within the time limits for doing so. Estates, where the 30-year time limit from the date of death has expired, are also removed.
“We often hear of accounts of deceased persons in financial institutions that are never claimed and are never made public by these institutions. I believe we can borrow a leaf from the practice in the UK in this regard to promote transparency,” says Olaitan Akinnubi, a lawyer based in Lagos. “I believe that information about deceased persons and their unclaimed assets being made public in the UK is something that is worthy of emulation here in Nigeria.”
For most of the deceased, there is little information on relatives to whom their assets may be transferred, and those with available information, it is quite scanty and hard to trace beneficiaries.
The list includes a certain Arbel Aai’Lotta’Qua Abouarh that died on February 5, 1998 in Chiswick, London and thought to have different variations in the spelling of his name. Information on file indicates that he may have been married in December 1959 (place unknown) and had 4 children from the marriage.
It is further stated he was born in Northern Nigeria on or about the 3rd March 1930 and his parents are said to be Alfred Hallim Abouarh and Addanue Abouarh nee Onwudachi. Information on file also indicates that he had a sister (deceased) and a twin brother (possibly living in Germany).
There is also a Paul (Akinola) Bernard who was born in Lagos and died in London on October 12, 2008. Available information suggests he married a 2nd wife, Marie Vidarte de Castro in 1970, but she had also died in August 2008. He is believed to have a daughter from his first marriage which ended around 1970.
Born in Ibadan on August 2, 1958, John Olaolu Bankole died in London on April 27, 2010. Information available includes a Decree Absolute dissolving the deceased’s marriage on 11 November 2002, while his marriage certificate states that his father’s name is Oladipupa Bankole.
While Enwukwe Graham Kwedi Edde, who died on January 6, 2011 in London is only known to have been born in Diobu, River State, Charles Ayodele Aliu, who died on March 31, 2011 in Solihull, West Midlands is said to “have possible cousin in Nigeria”.
Sunny Eyo Edem, who died on September 16, 2011 in Fulham is believed to have a “Possible son and relatives in Calabar, Nigeria”. Also, William Kadry, who died on November 1, 2011 in Fulham, is said to have been born in Iponri, Lagos State, and his father Akanni Kadiri died in 1941, while his mother Muniratu Kadiri died 1958.
Recent additions to the list include Solomon Adekanmibi who died on January 31, 2021 in Colchester, Essex; Eugene Bucknor, who died on March 2, 2021 in Brockley, London; Jeff Adhekeh, who died on March 12, 2021 in South Kensington, London and Louisa Holmes, who died on May 24, 2021 in Cheam Sutton.
According to Akinnubi, the legal practitioner, “for the relatives of any such deceased person or any other person entitled to the estate of any of the listed deceased persons, it is advisable that they engage a Probate Solicitor or Practitioner in the UK to help and guide them through the process of obtaining letters of administration in respect of the deceased person’s Estate in the UK.”
He further said a lesson to be drawn from this, is the importance of writing a will while one is alive. Once a person starts acquiring properties (real or personal), they should start thinking of writing a will, he advices, as this would help their family, friends and loved ones identify their assets and administer them accordingly upon their death.
“Who knows if the relatives of any of these deceased are languishing in poverty while their dad, brother, son, etc has property of value in the UK? If these assets are not claimed after a long period of time, they become bona vacantia i.e. goods or assets without an owner; and they eventually are taken over by the Crown or government in the UK,” he said. (Text, excluding headline: BusinessDay)
Supporters of the Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Rabiu Kwankwaso, were reportedly attacked during a campaign activity in Warri, Delta State. HireGrant Writers
The incident was disclosed by Esther Umoh, a photographer associated with Obi, in a post on X.
Umoh alleged that politically sponsored thugs attacked members of the campaign team while they were campaigning in Warri.
According to her, those affected included members of the entourage of the Delta State governorship candidate, as well as supporters of the Obidient and Kwankwasiya movements.
“As of this morning, politically sponsored thugs reportedly opened fire on @MamaPee__, @Drmopaul, @dchrisiyovwaye, the Delta State governorship candidate, members of his entourage, and other Obidient and Kwankwasiya supporters who were out campaigning in Warri,” she wrote.
A video shared alongside the allegation showed people running amid a chaotic scene.
A voice in the video was heard saying, “Look at the thŭgs, they came to attack us. We must face them. We are fully ready for them.”
The reported attack comes as supporters of Obi and Kwankwaso continue their mobilisation ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Obi and Kwankwaso are being mobilised under the NDC platform, with members of the Obidient and Kwankwasiyya movements also involved in the wider support structure.
The Obi-Kwankwaso support movement recently announced a 59-member presidential campaign council made up of coordinators and directors from across the country.
The 30-year-old aluminium fixer and student of a polytechnic in Kwara State had spent days in police detention and prison custody following a dispute that began with an alleged N8,000 debt.
His parents had stood as sureties to perfect his bail.
He was finally home and free.
But his mother, Simiat Mohammed, said the son who returned to the family was not the same man who had left days earlier.
He barely ate. He withdrew from people. Again and again, she said, Al-Amin complained about the humiliation of being detained, taken to court and remanded in prison over an allegation he insisted was untrue.
“He kept saying that they wanted to tarnish his image because he came from a poor family and that he was sent to prison for a crime he did not commit,” the grieving mother told Saturday PUNCH amid tears.
Three days after his release, tragedy struck.
On September 17, Al-Amin ingested rat poison at his residence in Ibadan.
Before then, according to his family, he recorded a voice note expressing frustration and saying what would become his final words to his mother.
“He said the frustration was too much and asked his siblings to take care of me. He mentioned my name and apologised, telling me not to be angry with him,” Simiat recalled.
The family rushed him from one hospital to another in a desperate attempt to save his life.
His father, Habeeb Mohammed, said three hospitals rejected him before the family eventually got to the University College Hospital, Ibadan.
“We were asked to make some payments before he could be attended to. After we paid, the doctor came and told us that he was dead,” he said.
For the Mohammed family, the death brought a devastating end to a chain of events that they say should never have gone beyond a minor disagreement.
How N8,000 debt became police case
According to Simiat, her son had borrowed N23,000 from a Point-of-Sale operator identified simply as Kazeem.
Al-Amin had repaid N15,000, leaving a balance of N8,000.
But a disagreement subsequently broke out, during which Kazeem allegedly seized Al-Amin’s mobile phone over the unpaid balance.
The 30-year-old later returned to retrieve his phone, leading to a struggle.
His mother said the confrontation was minor, but it set off events that eventually took her son through vigilante detention, a police cell, a courtroom and prison custody.
After the altercation, Al-Amin was allegedly detained overnight by a vigilante said to be the father of one of Kazeem’s employees.
The following day, September 9, he was allegedly handed over to officers at the Sanyo Divisional Police Station in Ibadan.
Simiat said she received a call the next day asking her to come to the station.
Like many mothers visiting a detained child, she went there carrying food.
“When I got to the station, I went with food for my son, but they did not allow me to give it to him. After some time, they brought him out of the cell and I spoke with him,” she said.
During that brief encounter, Al-Amin maintained his innocence over another allegation that had entered the dispute that he damaged a mobile phone belonging to Kazeem.
“He told me that he did not touch the phone, let alone spoil it. He said the only money he owed Kazeem was N8,000 and that he went to retrieve his phone after it had been seized, which led to the struggle,” she added.
‘They said they would jail him’
What Simiat expected would be resolved as a dispute between two young men allegedly took a more serious turn.
She claimed that the Investigating Police Officer, identified as Adekeye, insisted that Al-Amin would be prosecuted despite the family’s appeals for a settlement.
According to her, the family was asked to provide N100,000 for bail and another N70,000 for the damaged phone.
“When Kazeem came to the station, I pleaded with him that we should settle the matter. I also pleaded with the DCO, but he later sent me out of his office.
“The IPO, Adekeye, also said she would ensure that my son was jailed. There was even a police officer pleading on our behalf,” she alleged.
The deceased’s father, Habeeb, gave a similar account.
He alleged that the matter was escalated because the complainant’s father was known to the Divisional Crime Officer.
“When I got there, I begged the DCO that the matter could be settled amicably. But because the father of the complainant was his friend, he said he would deal with my son and send him to prison,” he stated.
The family further alleged that Al-Amin complained of harsh treatment while in detention and said he was pressured to admit that he damaged the phone.
Saturday PUNCH could not independently verify those allegations.
From police cell to prison
On September 10, the family said Al-Amin was taken to court in the Mapo area of Ibadan.
His mother claimed nobody informed the family beforehand.
They only learnt that he had been taken to court after receiving a telephone call.
At the court, the family encountered a lawyer identified as Boluwatife, who, according to Simiat, offered to represent Al-Amin free of charge after hearing about the case.
The court granted him bail in the sum of N100,000 with two sureties in like sum.
But freedom did not come immediately.
Pending the perfection of his bail conditions, Al-Amin was taken to the Agodi Custodial Centre.
For four days, his parents worked to secure his release.
Eventually, Simiat and Habeeb stood as sureties, and their son walked out of custody on September 14.
Police deny charging Oyo student over ₦8,000
Meanwhile, Oyo State Police Command has disputed the account surrounding the arrest and prosecution of a student, Al-Amin Mohammed, who later died by suicide, saying he was not arrested or charged to court over an outstanding ₦8,000 debt.
The Command said Mohammed was charged with assault and malicious damage after allegedly assaulting a female Point-of-Sale operator and damaging her Airtel SIM registration machine valued at ₦177,000.
The police position differs from the account given by Mohammed’s family, which said he was arrested and taken to court following a dispute over an ₦8,000 debt owed to the POS operator.
In a statement on Saturday, the Command described a publication alleging that Mohammed was detained over the debt as “false, unfounded and misleading.”
“The Command wishes to categorically state that the narrative is false, unfounded and misleading, as it does not represent the circumstances of the case or the basis upon which the suspect was charged to court,” the statement said.
According to the police, investigation established that Mohammed approached the POS operator to collect ₦23,000 in cash, with the intention of transferring the same amount to her through a POS transaction.
“The complainant obliged and handed the suspect the said sum in cash. However, immediately after collecting the money, the suspect left the scene without effecting the intended transfer or returning the money.
“Following persistent efforts, the suspect eventually refunded ₦15,000, leaving an outstanding balance of ₦8,000, which he subsequently refused to pay. Consequently, the complainant took possession of the suspect’s mobile phone pending the refund of the outstanding ₦8,000,” the Command said. (PUNCH)
Officers of the Kogi police command have arrested Elijah Olorunsuwa, a lecturer with the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN), over allegations of cybercrime in connection with WhatsApp messages on a road project in the state.
Olorunsuwa, a social commentator, was arrested on Wednesday at his residence in Ilorin, Kwara state capital, and taken to Kogi state.
He was later released on Wednesday evening and asked to return on Thursday.
Speaking with TheCable after his release, Olorunsuwa said around 5am on Wednesday, about eight police officers arrived at his residence in Ilorin to arrest him.
Olorunsuwa said he requested that the police officers should allow him to drive his own car and follow them to the nearest area command in Ilorin.
The lecturer said when they arrived at the area command in Ilorin, there were no police officers to attend to them. Afterwards, he decided to join the police officers in their van as they agreed to take him to the Kwara police command headquarters.
According to Olorunsuwa, the police officers reneged on the agreement and drove him to Kogi.
When the lecturer got to the police station in Kogi, he was shown a petition reportedly written against him by Jerry Omodara, security adviser to the Kogi state government.
THE PETITION
In the petition dated September 11 and addressed to the Kogi police commissioner, Omodara alleged that Olorunsuwa has “consistently made false allegation and publications” against the Kogi government using social media.
The security adviser said the lecturer’s recent social media post against the Kogi government was on the award of the Kabba-Oke-Offin-Olle-lluke road project.
Omodara said the Kogi government published advertisements in newspapers for the award of the reconstruction of the road.
The security adviser said after the newspaper publications, Olorunsuwa posted on social media that the road “project was not of the state government but World Bank sponsored and the state was to pay a counterpart fund”.
Omodara said Olorunsuwa’s post is “false, malicious and with the intention to deceive unsuspecting public and discredit the government of the day”.
“This does not go down well with the government as well as myself being from that area that have consistently reminded the government on the need to reconstruct the road,” the petition reads.
“It is therefore not acceptable to the government of the State and the people the road is supposed to serve.
“Consequently, Mr. Elijah Olounsuwa is to be apprehended and to be made to tender all documents available to him from or by the World Bank to back his claim, otherwise he is to be charged for cybercrime and prosecuted.”
THE WHATSAPP CONVERSATION
Olorunsuwa told TheCable that someone posted a message on the Oke Offin community WhatsApp group that the state government was reconstructing the Kabba-Oke-Offin-Olle-lluke road.
The lecturer said he commented that the road project is sponsored by the World Bank.
Olorunsuwa said that after his comment, Omodara replied to him and asked that the post should be deleted. He added that the state security adviser threatened that he should expect legal action if the WhatsApp post is not deleted.
The lecturer said he and Omodara hail from Oke Offin in Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi state.
“I told him that he should feel free to take me to court. I didn’t pull down the post,” the lecturer said.
“However, some elderly men on the platform reached out to me and appealed for the need to maintain peace and decorum.”
Olorunsuwa said that after the appeal from the elderly men, he deleted his WhatsApp comments and reached out to Omodara via the phone.
The lecturer said during the phone conversation with Omodara, the security adviser told him that Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, had directed that he should be prosecuted over the post.
Olorunsuwa said he asked the security adviser if the Kogi governor was a member of the community WhatsApp group chat.
He said Omodara asked him to publish a retraction of his WhatsApp posts about the road project, adding that he refused to do so, which led to his arrest.
OMODARA REACTS
Reacting to the development, Omodara said Olorunsuwa published a “false claim” about the funding of the road project via WhatsApp and other social media platforms.
The security adviser told TheCable that he asked the lecturer to retract his post on the WhatsApp group since the road project is being funded by the Kogi state government.
Omodara said Olorunsuwa responded that he should be mourning his late cousin rather than clamouring for the withdrawal of the post.
He added that during a telephone conversation, he informed the lecturer that the road project was solely funded by the state government and not the World Bank, as he claimed.
The security adviser said Olorunsuwa refused to retract the social media post, which prompted the state government to petition the Kogi police commissioner. Cable
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