The children of the late Engineer George Osazoga Idah have issued a firm response to recent statements made by Chief Osaro concerning the ongoing legal dispute over the late engineer’s estate.
In a suit marked B/233/2025, the plaintiffs, Mark Idah and Omoruyi Idah, filed the case on behalf of themselves and other children of the late Engr. George Idah. The defendant is Chief Osaro Idah, a Benin Palace Chief, whom they are challenging over claims to the late engineer’s properties.
The plaintiffs contend that the defendant did not have a legally or customarily recognized relationship with their late father during his lifetime. They allege that there was no acknowledged paternity or formal familial ties established under Benin native law and custom before their father’s passing.
In a detailed statement made available to the press by the siblings, the family expressed concern over what they described as “falsehoods, baseless claims, and personal attacks” directed at them by Chief Osaro. Although they had previously refrained from public commentary out of respect for judicial proceedings, they stated that the seriousness of the allegations necessitated a public clarification.
“Out of deep respect for due process and the sanctity of the courts, we have, until now, chosen not to engage in public commentary. However, the torrent of falsehoods, baseless claims, and personal attacks issued by Chief Osaro compels us to set the record straight. Let it be stated without equivocation: this matter is before a competent court of law.
“No amount of media manipulation, emotional blackmail, or character assassination will substitute for facts and legal truth. As the saying goes, no matter how long falsehood travels, truth will eventually catch up with it. We remain confident that, through proper judicial scrutiny, the truth will emerge, backed by evidence, not empty rhetoric,” the statement read.
At the heart of the dispute is the issue of Chief Osaro’s paternity, which the Idah family insists must be resolved through a scientific process. They challenged Osaro to submit to an independent DNA test, a request they claim he continues to evade.
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“What remains most telling in Chief Osaro’s statement is his continued refusal to confront the central question before the court, his paternity. If he is indeed the biological son of our late father, he should have no hesitation in submitting to an independent DNA test. Instead, he avoids the issue altogether. This silence is not only suspicious, it is damning. A simple forensic test would resolve this matter conclusively, yet he continues to hide behind deflection and distractions,” the family asserted.
The statement further emphasized that all recognized children of Engineer Idah are alive, mentally sound, and prepared to affirm the truth both in court and before the public.
“We wish to make it absolutely clear that all known children of our late father are alive, mentally sound, and fully capable of affirming the truth, not only before the court, but before the public if necessary. Our father’s legacy is not up for revision, nor can it be hijacked through a campaign of intimidation and false entitlement.
“Furthermore, Chief Osaro’s personal attacks on our brother, Mark Idah, are nothing more than a smokescreen, a transparent attempt to discredit voices that challenge his narrative.
These petty assaults on character reveal just how far he is willing to go in his bid to lay claim to what is not lawfully his. Such tactics do not intimidate us; they only expose the desperation and moral bankruptcy behind them,” they said.
Reiterating their belief in the legal system, the family urged the public to exercise patience and await the court’s decision.
“This dispute is not about media headlines or public sympathy, it is about truth, justice, and legacy. Our late father, Engineer George Osazoga Idah, was a respected leader whose memory and estate must be honored with dignity, not dragged through the mud of personal vendettas. We urge the public to remain calm and trust the legal process. We will meet Chief Osaro in court, where truth is not determined by volume, but by evidence, integrity, and law.”
