In a recent ruling, the Federal Capital Territory High Court in Kurudu has decided to dismiss a lawsuit brought by Ann Eniyamire Bello, daughter of the late Justice Moses Bello, a former President of the Abuja Customary Court of Appeal. Eniyamire contested the distribution of her father’s estate by the executors of the will, challenging the adopted property-sharing formula. The lawsuit, Case CV/667/2024, named Reverend Father Ezekiel John and Christ the King Catholic Church Okene Parish as defendants.
Eniyamire argued that the distribution formula used by the defendants deviated from the 11.11% share stipulated by her father, instead opting for 4.16%. She sought a court declaration for a 1/9 share (equivalent to 11.11%) of her father’s assets and requested the court to invalidate the executors’ decisions.
The court found that the Codicil to the will, which Eniyamire claimed altered the sharing formula, was invalid as it did not meet the legal requirements under the Wills Act. Justice Mohammed Zubairu highlighted that the language used in the Codicil gave discretion to the executors in distributing the properties, ultimately upholding their decision.
As a result, the court dismissed the suit, rejecting all claims made by Eniyamire and affirming the executors’ distribution of the assets. The ruling stated that Eniyamire was not entitled to a 1/9 share of her father’s properties, concluding that the executors’ decisions were valid.