Former chairman of the now-defunct Skye Bank, Tunde Ayeni, has taken legal action against his ex-mistress, Adaobi Alagwu, accusing her of blackmail after he stopped providing her with a monthly allowance of N5 million in October 2024.

Appearing before the Federal Capital Territory Customary Court in Abuja, Ayeni claimed that Alagwu resorted to threats and manipulation after he discontinued the payments and asked her to vacate a N400 million property in Jabi, which he had placed under her trusteeship.

?This court is invited to make a pronouncement on the respondent?s false belief that she is married to the petitioner,? Ayeni?s lawyer, Joseph Silas, told the court. ?This belief has enabled her to continue blackmailing him after he discovered that the child she claimed was his was not.?

The legal battle between the two stems from a paternity dispute over Alagwu?s daughter. While Alagwu insists that a DNA test conducted in the United Kingdom confirmed Ayeni as the father with 99.9999997% probability, Ayeni rejected the test results, alleging manipulation.

In his suit, Ayeni is seeking a court declaration that he is not the child?s father and that no marital relationship exists between him and Alagwu.

His lawyer further argued that the dowry initially paid to Alagwu had been refunded, meaning no customary marriage had been established.

?The matter before this court is not about determining the petitioner?s statutory marriage with his wife,? Silas stated. ?It is 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.?

However, Alagwu?s lawyer, T.G. Okechukwu, filed a preliminary objection, arguing that the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case.

?We urge the court to dismiss this suit because it no longer has jurisdiction,? Okechukwu said.

Following arguments from both sides, the three-member panel, presided over by Justice Adlin Achoru, adjourned the matter until March 11 for ruling. (The Guardian)