The children of late Sikiru Elias are at loggerheads with their uncle, Tajudeen Alebiosu, for allegedly exhuming their father’s corpse without their consent.
PUNCH Metro learnt that Sikiru, who died 12 years ago, was buried on the premises of his house on Igbehin Adun Street in the Gbagada area of Lagos, which he reportedly bought from Alebiosu.
The children claimed that Alebiosu exhumed their father’s corpse on July 25, 2018, and took it to Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, where he re-buried it without telling them.
One of the children, Ibrahim Elias, who spoke to PUNCH Metro, said his father had been buried in Ijebu Ode before he and his siblings knew that the corpse had been exhumed.
Ibrahim added that the children believed that the motive behind Alebiosu’s act was to sell his father’s property.
He said, “Last week Monday, we got information that a corpse was buried in our father’s compound in Ijebu Ode. Since no family member died recently, one of my brothers decided to go to our father’s house in Gbagada where we buried him.
“When he got there, he found out that the corpse of our father had been exhumed. I called our uncle and he confirmed that he exhumed the corpse and took it to Ijebu Ode, adding that he would sell the house. We reported at the Pedro Police Station, Somolu, on Monday and our uncle was invited.
“There is a document that indicated that our father paid for the land, which he later built on. We pleaded with our aged head of family, Mr Aroyeun, to come to the station because he has a copy of the payment document that was signed by uncle, our father and a witness when our father bought the land.
“After our father’s death, everybody moved out and we leased the property to a doctor.
“There was an agreement that was made and signed by my two brothers and my uncle when we wanted to lease out the property. My uncle stood in for the head of the family for the lease of my father’s property.
“When we showed the DPO the two documents, our uncle said the signature on the lease document was forged. But the signature on the document is the same on the receipt that which he gave our father.”
Ibrahim added that the siblings went to Ijebu Ode to bring their father’s corpse back to Lagos and the remains were buried again in his Gbagada home.
Ibrahim said, “After the burial on Thursday, we went back to the DPO and he said our uncle’s lawyer brought a medical report that he was not healthy and would not appear at the station again.”
However, Alebiosu denied selling the disputed land to his elder brother, Sikiru, adding that he did not have to inform the family before exhuming the corpse.
He said, “I did not sell any land to my elder brother; the land belongs to me and the documents are with me.
“There was no need for me to inform the family that I wanted to exhume the corpse. I was the one that buried him on my land and the people that want to buy the land said I should remove the corpse and I removed it.
“I gave the house to their father to live in and when he died, I buried him there. When I wanted to sell my property, I removed his corpse and buried it in his personal compound in Ijebu Ode.
“I was the one who leased the property to the doctor occupying the property. Anytime I collect the money on the lease, I give each of my brother’s five wives N400,000 each and I take N1m.”
The state Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Chike Oti, said he would get back to our correspondent, but had yet to do so as of press time.
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