Prominent businessman and former chairman of the defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni has accused his ex-mistress, Adaobi Alagwu, of resorting to blackmail afy he stopped her N5 million monthly allowance and sought to reclaim a N400 million property in Abuja.
Ayeni, testifying before the Customary Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Dawaki, Abuja, claimed that Alagwu was struggling to let go of their relationship due to the financial benefits she previously enjoyed. He revealed that while they were together, he provided her with a luxurious home and a substantial allowance but has since cut off financial support, leading to tensions between them.
In his suit, marked FCT/CC/CV/DKDK, Ayeni is seeking a court declaration that he is not the biological father of Alagwu’s daughter and that no marriage exists between them. However, Alagwu insists that a DNA test conducted in London, with report reference number 0Z5167, confirmed Ayeni as the father with a 99.9% probability. Ayeni, on the other hand, has dismissed the test results, alleging they were manipulated.
During the court session on Tuesday, Ayeni’s lawyer, Joseph Silas, stated that the hearing was scheduled for the petitioner’s definite defence but noted that the respondent had filed a preliminary objection. Alagwu’s legal team is challenging the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that Ayeni had already submitted a marriage certificate with his legal wife.
Silas countered that the objection was unfounded, citing Section 14(2) of the Customary Court Act 2007, which grants jurisdiction once parties submit themselves to the court. He urged the court to officially declare that Alagwu was never married to Ayeni, arguing that she was leveraging the false claim of marriage for bl@ckmail.
“The respondent has used this assumption to continue bl@ckmailing the petitioner after he discovered the child was not his and stopped the N5m monthly allowance in October 2024. He has also asked her to vacate the N400m property in Jabi, where she was only a trustee,” Silas argued.