Tunde Ayeni Tells Court Why Ex-Mistress Resorted to Blackmail

Alex Enumah in Abuja

Former chairman of defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, has told a Customary Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) sitting in Dawaki, Abuja, that his former mistress, Adaobi Alagwu, resorted to blackmail because he discontinued the monthly allowance he had been giving her since October, 2024.

Another reason Ayeni gave for the alleged blackmail was her eviction from a N400 million property in Jabi, which she hitherto held as a trustee.

Ayeni and Alagwu have been embroiled in a paternity dispute over Alagwu’s daughter, who’s paternity Ayeni has publicly denied.

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, explaining 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.

Reacting, 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.