**TRACKNEWS INVESTIGATION**
A major criminal case in the United Kingdom has drawn attention to the family background of Barakat Odunuga-Bakare, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for Surulere Constituency I in the Lagos State House of Assembly, following the conviction of her younger brother and two sisters over the laundering of proceeds from two Class A drug operations in North London.
The three defendants, identified as Gafar Bakare, Zainab Bakare and Saheedat Bakare, were convicted by a jury at Wood Green Crown Court after a five-week trial.
According to the prosecution’s case, the drug operations were allegedly controlled and operated by Gafar Bakare, generating approximately £320,000 over a 12-month period.
The prosecution maintained that the defendants worked together to deposit the proceeds into multiple bank accounts and move the money through different financial channels to conceal its criminal origins.
The jury found all three defendants guilty of money laundering. They are expected to return to Wood Green Crown Court in December 2026 for sentencing.
Their mother is also facing a separate criminal case over alleged involvement in the same operation. Her trial is reportedly scheduled for autumn 2028. However, she has not been convicted, and the allegations against her remain unproven.
### COMPANIES HOUSE RECORDS REVEAL FAMILY NAME CONNECTION
An examination of UK Companies House records reveals a series of corporate registrations connected to the convicted brother and one of his sisters.
The records identify the convicted brother as Gafar Bakare Odunuga, a name that bears a striking resemblance to the compound surname of the Lagos APC politician, whose name appears in Nigerian public records as both Odunuga-Bakare and Bakare-Odunuga.
Companies House records show that Gafar Bakare Odunuga was associated with Gafar Consultants Limited, a company registered in December 2014 and subsequently dissolved.
His date of birth is recorded as June 1987, while his registered address was 35 Kendal House, Collier Street, Islington, London.
Similarly, Companies House records identify Zainab Bakare as having been associated with three companies, all of which have since been dissolved.
They include two separate companies registered under the name Zainab Bakare Limited in 2016 and 2018, as well as Outram Consult Ltd, associated with her in 2022.
Her date of birth is recorded as November 1988, with addresses linked to Campbell Walk and Jersey House on Clifton Road, both in Islington.
### ELECTORAL RECORDS PLACE THE SIBLINGS IN THE SAME LONDON HOUSEHOLD
Further records reportedly obtained by TrackNews provide additional details about the family’s historical residence in the United Kingdom.
According to electoral register records covering 2012 and the period between 2013 and 2016, a household in London N1 listed Barakat O. Odunuga Bakare alongside Gafar O. Bakare Odunuga, Zainab Bakare and Saidat O. Bakare.
The records also listed other members of the extended family.
The names and dates of birth contained in the documents are presented as evidence of a family connection between the Lagos politician and the three individuals convicted in the UK case.
Barakat Odunuga-Bakare was born on March 10, 1986, according to the records cited in the investigation. Gafar was born in June 1987, while Zainab’s date of birth is recorded as November 1988.
These records provide a basis for examining the family relationship, although the convictions themselves concern only the three defendants tried in London.
### FROM LONDON EDUCATION TO LAGOS POLITICS
Barakat Odunuga-Bakare’s publicly available profile indicates that she attended the College of North East London for her A-level studies before proceeding to the University of Bedfordshire, where she obtained a law degree.
She subsequently earned a master’s degree in International Commercial Law.
Her political career in Lagos includes serving as a councillor and Leader of the Surulere Legislative Council, as well as Special Adviser on Housing to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu.
She also served as campaign secretary during the 2023 elections, when political campaigns in Surulere supported President Bola Tinubu, Governor Sanwo-Olu, Femi Gbajabiamila and Desmond Elliot.
### DEFEATED DESMOND ELLIOT IN APC PRIMARY
In May 2026, Odunuga-Bakare emerged as the APC candidate for Surulere Constituency I after defeating incumbent lawmaker and Nollywood actor Desmond Elliot in the party’s primary election.
Her emergence was reportedly backed by Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu.
The primary results reportedly gave Odunuga-Bakare more than 11,000 votes, while Elliot secured 270 votes.
Elliot subsequently withdrew from the exercise, alleging intimidation and rejecting the outcome.
His defeat ended his immediate bid to retain the constituency’s legislative seat.
### NO CRIMINAL CHARGE AGAINST BARAKAT ODUNUGA-BAKARE
Importantly, the UK criminal proceedings described in this investigation do not establish any criminal wrongdoing by Barakat Odunuga-Bakare.
She is not identified as a defendant in the case, has not been convicted in connection with the drug-money-laundering operation, and the convictions against her siblings do not establish that she participated in, financed, facilitated or had knowledge of their activities.
The allegations against her mother also remain before the courts and must not be treated as established facts before trial.
Nevertheless, the convictions of three members of the family, alongside the corporate and historical residential records linking the individuals, raise questions about the family connections surrounding a politician seeking to represent constituents in Lagos State.
For now, the criminal convictions stand against Gafar Bakare, Zainab Bakare and Saheedat Bakare, while their mother awaits trial.
**TRACKNEWS ONLINE**
*Investigative Journalism. Accountability. Public Interest.*
Source: TrackNews