⬆️The late Major General Christopher Adewole Jemitola (retd).
A fresh confrontation has erupted at the Abuja residence of the late Major General Christopher Adewole Jemitola (retd), following a court enforcement exercise that saw security personnel and court officials force their way into parts of the property, amid an escalating inheritance dispute between the deceased officer’s widow and his children.
The incident, which occurred on Thursday, November 12, involved the widow, Mrs Safiya Ibrahim Mamman-Jemitola, and her stepson, Caleb Jemitola, who offered sharply contrasting accounts of the circumstances surrounding the supposed enforcement exercise.
While the widow accused her stepson and individuals acting on his behalf of using court processes to intimidate her and force her out of her matrimonial home, Caleb maintained that the operation was strictly to enforce a valid court order granting the parties access to domestic staff members.
Speaking to journalists during the operation, Mrs Jemitola described the incident as the second violent attempt in recent months to gain entry into her home, alleging that doors and gates had been damaged in the process.
She questioned the manner in which the court order was being enforced, insisting that a valid judgment did not give anyone the licence to use excessive force or disregard established legal procedures.
According to her, although the presiding judge had acknowledged the validity of the judgment, the court had also made clear that there was a prescribed procedure for its enforcement.
She alleged that the enforcement team arrived with a Certified True Copy of the judgment but without a separate enforcement order.
Mrs Jemitola further claimed that nearly 30 men, some armed, accompanied the court officials and security personnel, resulting in the destruction of doors and other parts of the property.
She said she had incurred considerable expenses repairing damage allegedly caused during an earlier invasion of the residence.
The widow also accused some individuals accompanying the enforcement team of having participated in previous confrontations at the property, naming Reverend Simon Asemota and a lawyer, Morgan Sam Lequa, among those she identified.
At the centre of the dispute is the estate of the late General Jemitola, who died on February 6, 2025, and the circumstances surrounding a contested will.
Mrs Jemitola has challenged the circumstances surrounding the preparation and administration of the will, while her stepson and other beneficiaries have pursued legal action relating to access to the family residence and their interests in the estate.
Explaining his position, Caleb said the dispute began after his father’s death when his stepmother challenged the contents of the will.
He said he and his sister, Iman, alongside individuals appointed to administer their father’s estate, were subsequently drawn into litigation.
Caleb also alleged that he had previously been locked out of the family residence for approximately two months, prompting him to approach the court to enforce his fundamental rights.
He said the court subsequently granted an interim order allowing him access to the property.
According to him, the latest enforcement exercise was not intended to eject his stepmother but to implement the court’s directive concerning domestic staff members.
An Assistant Superintendent of Police, Abdulrahman, who was part of the enforcement team, corroborated this position, explaining that the order did not authorise the eviction of Mrs Jemitola or any other occupant of the property.
He told journalists that the order entitled the parties in the suit to domestic staff members and that the two plaintiffs had brought their respective staff members to the residence.
“The court order that I have does not specify anybody should be ejected from the property,” he explained.
He added that the security personnel were present to provide protection while court officials carried out their duties, insisting that nobody was being threatened or forcibly removed from the house.
The widow, however, maintained that the presence and conduct of some of the individuals at the property had heightened her fears for her safety.
She also disputed suggestions that she had described the presiding judge as a criminal, clarifying that her comments referred to individuals she accused of breaking into her home during an earlier confrontation in December 2025.
Mrs Jemitola recounted other incidents which she said had contributed to her feeling of insecurity since her husband’s death.
She alleged that in October 2025, operatives of the Force Intelligence Department (FID) searched the residence, including her bedroom, following allegations that she possessed firearms and ammunition.
She maintained that the search was intended to find grounds to remove her from the property, an allegation that has not been independently established.
She also recalled another confrontation in February, shortly before the first anniversary of her husband’s death, when she alleged that individuals associated with the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) attempted to interfere with security arrangements at the residence.
Caleb, however, denied harbouring any intention to harm his stepmother, describing the allegations against him as unfortunate.
“I do not have any intention of harming Safiya Ibrahim in any way. I have no reason to,” he told journalists.
He maintained that neither he nor anyone working for him had any reason to threaten her.
The widow, on her part, insisted that she was not opposed to her stepchildren having access to their father’s residence or bringing in domestic staff members, provided the arrangements did not compromise her safety.
She specifically objected to the return of a former domestic staff member whom she accused of complicity in an earlier incident, insisting that alternative staff member could be engaged.
The latest confrontation is another development in the protracted family dispute that has attracted public attention since the death of the retired general.
Previous reports documented an earlier confrontation at the residence in December 2025, as well as subsequent allegations of police misconduct and disagreements over access to the property.
The dispute has also generated separate legal proceedings concerning the administration of the late general’s estate and the validity of the will.
As the competing claims continue to unfold, the latest incident raises questions about the conduct of court enforcement operations, the protection of parties involved in inheritance disputes and the need to ensure that judicial orders are implemented without unnecessary confrontation.