The former chairman of the now-defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, on Tuesday informed the Federal Capital Territory Customary Court in Dawaki, Abuja, that the woman whom he was previously entangled with, Adaobi Alagwu, resorted to blackmail after he discontinued the monthly allowance he had been giving her in October 2024.
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.
Ayeni and Alagwu have been embroiled in a paternity dispute over Alagwu’s daughter, whose paternity Ayeni has publicly denied, stating facts.
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’s father and that no marriage exists between him and Ms. Alagwu.
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.
The petitioner disputed the DNA test results, alleging manipulation.
At the resumed hearing, Ayeni’s counsel, Joseph Silas, informed the court that the matter was scheduled for the petitioner’s definite defense but noted that the respondent had served a preliminary objection.
Silas stated, “The matter today is set for definite defense, and we are ready to proceed. However, they served us with a notice of preliminary objection.” He added that the petitioner also had demands to make after the court ruled on the objection.
He explained that the respondent’s objection challenged the court’s jurisdiction to hear the suit.
“My Lord, the respondent’s 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’s application is unfounded and misplaced,” Silas argued.
He emphasized that the court has jurisdiction as it is established by law. “Section 14, subsection 2 of the Customary Court Act 2007 clearly recognizes that parties who submit themselves to this court confer jurisdiction on the court.”
Silas added, “The 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’s native law and custom.”
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.
Silas urged the court to pronounce that the parties are not married, emphasizing that Ms. Alagwu was using the assumption of marriage to blackmail the petitioner.
“This court is invited to make a pronouncement on the respondent’s 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 petitioners N400 million property in Jabi that she occupies as a trustee,” Silas stated.
In response, the respondent’s lawyer, T.G. Okechukwu, argued that the court no longer had jurisdiction to entertain the suit and urged the court to dismiss the suit.
“My Lord, the respondent filed a notice of preliminary objection dated February 26, 2025, pursuant to the rules of this honorable court. We urge the court to dismiss this suit on the grounds that it no longer has jurisdiction to hear it,” Okechukwu submitted.
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.
