Blood Brother, Sister At War Over Mom’s Properties

MICHAEL AKINOLA

 
When Mrs. Severia Abiola Akinbo acquired lands and built two houses, she did not know that the properties in Lagos will become sources of war between her only two children, Engineer Adebanbo and Mrs. Magdalene Olajide.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that the 80-year old woman’s life is now under threat and she had to go into hiding as a result of constant threats by his son, Adebanbo.
The two houses in question are located at 204 Ijesha Road and 37A Sijuade Street all in Ijeshatedo area of Surulere, Lagos.
The bone of contention is said to be as a result of greed on the part of the son, Adebanbo, who wanted to take possession of the two houses and leaving nothing to his sister, Olajide.

However, their mother, Mrs. Severia, has insisted that the houses must be shared between them but Adebanbo refused.

Mrs. Severia, a retired Nigeria Ports Authority staff, got married to her late husband, Joseph, who had many properties and were inherited by Adebanbo leaving none to Olajide. The old woman on her own shared the houses she had between Adebanbo and Olajide as gifts. She gave the house located at Ijesha Road to Olajide and the one at Sijuade Street to her son, Adebanbo. But the son rejected her offer declaring that he had enough properties and their mother should either hand over the two properties to him or he will not take the one given to him.
At that point, the mother called a family meeting and told them what was happening. She then declared that she had given her daughter, Olajide, the house at Ijesha Road as gift and equally willed the one at Sijuade Street to Olajide since the son, Adebanbo, said he had enough properties. Mrs. Severia subsequently prepared an irrevocable Power of Attorney and handed the management of her properties over to Olajide with an affidavit at the Lagos State High Court to that effect.
It was also disclosed that she wrote a letter to the family and presented the irrevocably Power of Attorney to her daughter, Mrs. Olajide, on the decision over her properties.
When P.M.EXPRESS correspondent contacted Olajide, she confirmed the incident while raising alarm over threats to her life and that of the aged mother. She explained that she had been taking care of their mother for several years before the properties were shared. She said after Adebanbo had rejected the way the properties were shared, the next thing he requested was to take their aged mother to his house claiming that he now wants to take care of her; she said his action raised a lot of suspicion. She wondered why the sudden decision after he had left the care of their mother to her alone only to turn back after he had rejected the sharing of the properties between them.