The former chairman of the now-defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, on Tuesday, informed the Federal Capital Territory Customary Court in Dawaki, Abuja, that his ex-mistress, Adaobi Alagwu, resorted to blackmail after he discontinued the N5 million monthly allowance he had been giving her in October 2024.<\/p>\n
Ayeni further disclosed that, in addition to the financial support, he had placed Ms. Alagwu, in a property worth N400 million in Jabi, which he bought and put her as a trustee but has now asked her to vacate the property.<\/p>\n
Ayeni and Alagwu have been embroiled in a paternity dispute over Alagwu\u2019s daughter, whose paternity Ayeni has publicly denied.<\/p>\n
Aggrieved by the paternity claims, Ayeni initiated a legal suit, marked FCT\/CC\/CV\/DKDK, urging the court to take judicial notice that he is not the child\u2019s father and that no marriage exists between him and Ms. Alagwu.<\/p>\n
However, Ms. Alagwu insisted that a Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) test conducted at a laboratory in London, United Kingdom, with report reference number 0Z5167, showed a 99.9999997% probability that Mr. Ayeni is the biological father of her daughter.<\/p>\n
The petitioner disputed the DNA test results, alleging manipulation.<\/p>\n
At the resumed hearing, Ayeni\u2019s counsel, Joseph Silas, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the petitioner\u2019s definite defence but noted that the respondent had served a preliminary objection.<\/p>\n
Silas stated, \u201cThe matter today is set for definite defence, and we are ready to proceed. However, they served us with a notice of preliminary objection.\u201d He added that the petitioner also had demands to make after the court ruled on the objection.<\/p>\n
He explained that the respondent\u2019s objection challenged the court\u2019s jurisdiction to hear the suit.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Lord, the respondent\u2019s objection is that this court does not have jurisdiction because the petitioner submitted his marriage certificate with his wife to the court. However, the respondent\u2019s application is unfounded and misplaced,\u201d Silas argued.<\/p>\n
He emphasized that the court has jurisdiction as it is established by law. \u201cSection 14, subsection 2 of the Customary Court Act 2007 recognizes that parties who submit themselves to this court confer jurisdiction on the court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silas added, \u201cThe matter before this court is not about determining the statutory marriage between the petitioner and his wife but about declaring that no marriage exists between the petitioner and the respondent following the return of a dowry paid out of ignorance of the respondent\u2019s native law and custom.\u201d<\/p>\n
He further noted that the dowry had been refunded after the petitioner demanded it back, clarifying that the payment was never intended to establish a marriage.<\/p>\n
Silas urged the court to pronounce that the parties were not married, emphasizing that Ms. Alagwu was using the assumption of marriage to blackmail the petitioner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis court is invited to make a pronouncement on the respondent\u2019s false belief that she is married to the petitioner. This belief has enabled her to continue blackmailing him after he discovered the child she claimed was his was not and discontinued her N5 million monthly allowance in October 2024. He has also asked her to vacate the petitioner N400 million property in Jabi that she occupies as a trustee,\u201d Silas stated.<\/p>\n
In response, the respondent\u2019s lawyer, T.G. Okechukwu, argued that the court no longer had jurisdiction to hear the suit and urged the court to dismiss it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy Lord, the respondent filed a notice of preliminary objection dated February 26, 2025, pursuant to the rules of this honourable court. We urge the court to dismiss this suit on the grounds that it no longer has jurisdiction to hear it,\u201d Okechukwu submitted.<\/p>\n
After hearing arguments from both parties, the three-member panel of judges, presided over by Justice Adlin Achoru, adjourned the matter until March 11 for ruling.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The former chairman of the now-defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, on Tuesday, informed the Federal Capital Territory Customary Court in Dawaki, Abuja, that his ex-mistress, Adaobi Alagwu, resorted to blackmail…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":116663,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-116662","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n