The court proceedings in the ongoing DNA saga involving Nigerian businessman Tunde Ayeni and Abuja-based lawyer Adaobi Alagwu took an unexpected turn on Monday.
PREMIUM TIMES earlier reported that Mr Ayeni became embroiled in a messy paternity dispute with Ms Alagwu, his ex-mistress, who accused him of fathering her daughter, Omarosa.
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Mr Ayeni, who had publicly denied fathering a child with Ms Alagwu on several occasions, filed a case against her in the Customary Court at Dawaki, Abuja.
He initiated the lawsuit to challenge the claims of paternity and a purported marriage made by the former contestant of the 2014 Most Beautiful Girl in Nigeria pageant against him.
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In response to the lawsuit, the court summoned Ms Alagwu to appear on 11 February to address her allegations of marrying and having a child with Mr Ayeni.
However, she was absent during the hearing and failed to present her case.
Her absence prompted the court to adjourn the case until 17 February, when she again failed to attend the hearing.
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Court
At the court on Monday, Mr Ayeni presented his marriage certificate to Biola Ayeni, his wife of over 30 years, to reaffirm his marital status.
The businessman alleged that Ms Alagwu dated multiple people between Lagos and Abuja at the time, noting that her other boyfriends should be required to undergo DNA tests.
He mentioned that he was cajoled by her father, who claimed to be a high chief in his community, warning that as the community leader, he would face significant disgrace if his daughter bore a child without being married.
Mr Ayeni noted that he made Ms Alagwu’s father aware that he was married under the law, “yet the man cried and begged”.
He alleged that Ms Alagwu’s father argued that it would be better “for it to be whispered that a married man had impregnated her than for his title to be ridiculed”.
“Being a man of repute in the society, Ayeni succumbed as he was also worried the doubt this would cast on his marriage could cost him too much. Today, the die is cast, and Adaobi, I, who willingly showed her child’s face out in public, could not appear to defend her legitimacy. Instead, she subjected her two young, inexperienced lawyers to represent her, tendering a medical report claiming she was sick as the case was again adjourned till 4th of March 2025.
“In all of this, and at the risk of being accused of being the influencer of the disgrace inflicted on Adaobi, Mrs Abiola Ayeni sat through the proceedings in silent grace, recognising and respecting that the obligatory responsibility upon her as an honourable married wife to the man under cross-examination and her legitimately born children superseded every contrary perspective that the defendant and her young lawyers could hold”, a statement sent to this newspaper by Mr Ayeni’s publicist read.
Mr Ayeni prayed the court to expedite the matter and end what he described as a campaign of blackmail and public deception.
DNA
The lawyer’s failure to appear in court cast doubt on her credibility and the validity of her claims against Mr Ayeni.
Ms Alagwu’s absence from court followed the revelation of her DNA test results, which allegedly confirmed Mr Ayeni as the father of her child—the test the businessman vehemently rejected.
In a press release he signed and obtained by this newspaper, Mr Ayeni denounced the DNA results (which he participated in) as fraudulent, suggesting that Ms Alagwu was plagued by her reckless past and was driven by desperation.
The statement read: “This desperation is pushing her on this journey to infamy and ultimate disgrace. It has become necessary to address once again the persistent and shameful campaign of blackmail, deceit, and defamation orchestrated by Ms. Adaobi Alagwu. When I say the certificate is fake, I am stating a position informed by indisputable facts.
“First, the result was meant to be out in five days. Later, a letter, purportedly from the centre, came pushing the date the result would be ready by two extra days. When we cross-checked from the centre, they denied knowing the letter and the Indian name that signed it. At that point, it became clear that the process had been compromised and that the outcome could not be genuine. We have since discovered other nefarious steps taken to come about the so-called DNA certificate.”
He alleged that Ms Alagwu and her associates hacked into the email accounts of the accredited laboratory responsible for conducting the DNA analysis.
“Their goal was to insert a falsified document to support her baseless claims. People are privy to these facts, and in due course, they’ll be presented to the appropriate authorities, especially now that we are in court.
“For instance, it was not a mere coincidence that it was at this critical point in time when we were expecting the results that Google found out that the email we used had been compromised. At that point, we lost confidence in the process and the centre. It was then we requested for another DNA at another centre, which the lady rebuffed,” the statement added.
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He reiterated that he had no marital connection to Ms Alagwu.
“The child in question is not Mr Ayeni’s: Ms Alagwu’s fabricated DNA result contradicts the legitimate, verified results that conclusively establish the absence of any biological relationship. Her attempt to draw any form of comparison by releasing the said child’s photograph on social media is laughable. It goes against everything the deeply rooted Igbo culture and tradition stands for.
“The ongoing blackmail and cyber-attacks are criminal activities: Ms Alagwu’s actions extend beyond slander; they are rooted in deliberate criminality, including cyber intrusion and document forgery. Legal action has already been initiated, and all evidence has been handed over to the appropriate authorities”, the statement added.
He stated that the lawyer’s manipulations and persistent delusions would not ruin his home and urged the public to disregard any claims made by Ms Alagwu and her collaborators.
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