A legal dispute has emerged over the administration of the estate of former Niger State governor, Abdulkadir Kure, following a suit filed at the Upper Area Court in the Gudu Judicial Division of Abuja.
Umar Farouq Abdulkadir, the second son of the late governor, has instituted a civil summons against his mother, Zainab Abdulkadir Kure, alleging that the distribution and management of his father’s assets have been handled unlawfully.
The dispute centers on the estate of the late former governor, who served as the Executive Governor of Niger State from May 29, 1999, to May 29, 2007. Kure died intestate on January 8, 2017.
According to court documents, the plaintiff claims that in 2019 the defendant allegedly applied to the Niger State High Court for a letter of administration to manage the estate without informing him.
Umar Farouq further alleged that his mother “re-sealed” the family residence located at No. 31, Suleiman Barau Crescent, Asokoro, Abuja, a property covered by Certificate of Occupancy File No. 10776, and allocated the house to herself while excluding him from access to the property.
The suit also raises concerns over financial accountability in the management of the estate. The plaintiff claims the defendant took sole control of two estate bank accounts domiciled with First City Monument Bank (FCMB), with account numbers 0920812018 and 1232804012, without providing financial records or account statements to the other legal heirs.
Court filings identify seven primary beneficiaries of the late governor’s estate. They include his widow, Senator Zainab Abdulkadir Kure; his sons Ibrahim, Umar Farouq, Khalifa, and Usman Nuraini; and his daughters Yasmin and Khadija.
In the suit, Umar Farouq is asking the Upper Area Court to declare the current administration of the estate illegal. He is also seeking an order directing all parties to jointly appoint an Islamic scholar knowledgeable in Sharia law to redistribute the property located at 31, Suleiman Barau Crescent, Asokoro, in accordance with Islamic inheritance principles.
Additionally, the plaintiff requested the court to grant an injunction restraining the defendant from exercising ownership or exclusive control over the disputed property pending the final determination of the case.
The suit was filed on April 7, 2026, by counsel Aliyu Yusuf Esq. and E.C. Ezugwu Esq. and is expected to test the legal framework governing the administration of estates where the deceased died intestate.
