UNFOLDING DRAMA: Tunde Ayeni Vs Estranged Wife, Adaobi Alagwu, DNA Saga, Others

 

Tunde Ayeni & his estranged lover, Adaobi Jennifer Alagwu

IMAGE NEWS brings the latest updates of the intricate controversies surrounding DNA and paternity saga involving multi-billionaire former Skye Bank chairman Tunde Ayeni and Abuja-based lawyer Adaobi Jennifer Alagwu. The case took an unexpected turn on Monday.

Recall that Chief Ayeni became embroiled in a messy paternity dispute with Ms Alagwu, his estranged ex-beauty queen wife, who claims he is the father of her daughter, Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni.

While Ayeni, had publicly denied fathering a child with Ms Alagwu on several occasions, Ms Alagwu has continued to controvert his claims saying he is indeed the biological father of Omarosa. Ayeni, a top businessman from Idimu in Kogi state has filed a case against Adaobi in the Customary Court at Dawaki, an Abuja suburb opposite Gwarinpa district.

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.

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 Ayeni. However, she was absent during the hearing and failed to present her case.

Her absence prompted the court to adjourn the case until Monday 17 February, when she again failed to attend the hearing in person but sent her legal representatives.

Dawaki Customary Court

Mrs Biola Ayeni & Ms Adaobi Alagwu, two women in Tunde Ayeni’s love life

The atmosphere was different at the usually obscure Customary Court, Dawaki but the high profile case awoke it to frenetic activities. a motley crowd witnessed ion the court on Monday as Chief Ayeni dramatically presented his marriage certificate to Mrs Biola Ayeni, his wife of over 30 years, to reaffirm his marital status.

Based on a statement made available to journalists, the businessman, though not denying dating Ms Alagwu claimed that she dated multiple people between Lagos and Abuja at the time, noting that her other boyfriends should be required to undergo DNA tests as well.

The statement claimed that he (Ayeni) was cajoled by Adaobi’s 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.

It was also claimed that Ayeni  informed Ms Alagwu’s father that he was married under the law. Despite that, the businessman claimed that after informing the man that he was married, “yet the man cried and begged”.

It was further 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”.

The statement from Ayeni camp stressed: “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 Ayeni’s publicist read.

Ayeni prayed the court to expedite the matter and end what he described as a campaign of blackmail and public deception.

DNA Saga

The DNA result obtained by IMAGE NEWS Exclusively

Though Ms Alagwu’s was absent at the court, her counsel tendered the DNA test results, which allegedly confirmed Mr Ayeni as the biological father of her child. The businessman has vehemently rejected the DNA result as compromised.

AYENI SAYS DNA RESULT COMPROMISED

In a press release he signed and sighted by IMAGE NEWS, 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.

He reiterated that he had no marital connection to Ms Alagwu.

“The child in question is not 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.

ADAOBI ALAGWU FIGHTS BACK

Adaobi Alagwu says she was traditionally married to Tunde Ayeni, accuses him of defamation

Adaobi Alagwu

The legal representatives of Adaobi Jennifer Alagwu refuted the claims that she was never married to the businessman just as they restated her position that Ayeni  is the biological father of her daughter, Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni.

ADAOBI VOWS TO TENDER VIDEO EVIDENCE TO SUPPORT MARRIAGE TO AYENI, DNA PROCESSES

The legal counsel said that the traditional marriage rites between Ms Alagwu and Chief Ayeni were lawfully conducted, including the payment of the bride price, adding that the ceremony was captured on video. Apart from the legally recognised marriage between them, Ms Alagwu’s lawyers said that her pregnancy for her daughter, Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni occurred before the marriage rites and that the child’s paternity is not in question.

Concerning the DNA, the counsel said the test was conducted at DNA Diagnostics Centre (DDC), United Kingdom, a globally recognised genetic testing institution, adding that Mr Ayeni has an option of suing the centre if he has any doubt about the result rather resorting to media campaign.

The legal representatives stated that Ms Alagwu “has no interest in engaging in a public dispute over wealth, status, or assets”.  They, however stated that what she would “not tolerate is the erasure of her child’s existence, the defamation of her character, and the malicious attempt to distort indisputable facts”. Here is full text of the statement from the legal representatives of Ms Alagwu:

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM THE LEGAL REPRESENTATIVES OF ADAOBI JENIFER ALAGWU

Tunde Ayeni and Adaobi Alagwu when the going was lovely

On behalf of our client, Ms Adaobi Jenifer Alagwu, we issue this stern warning to Mr TundeAyeni and his associates regarding the ongoing defamation, deliberate misinformation, and false narratives surrounding his legally recognized marriage to our client and the paternity of their daughter, Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni.

For over a year, Ms Alagwu has exercised great restraint in the face of continuous attacks, blatant lies, and a coordinated smear campaign against her and her child. However, given the relentless propagation of falsehoods by Mr Ayeni and those acting on his behalf, we are now compelled to set the record straight.

UNDENIABLE FACTS: MARRIAGE & PATERNITY

                1.            Recognized Marriage:

The claim that Mr Ayeni was never married to Ms Alagwu is an outright lie. Traditional marriage rites were lawfully conducted, including the payment of the bride price, and this was captured on video. Denying this now is both disingenuous and legally irrelevant.

                2.            Paternity of Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni:

Any claim that our client’s pregnancy occurred before the marriage is false. The child was conceived after the marriage, and her paternity is not in question.

A DNA test was conducted at DNA Diagnostics Centre (DDC), United Kingdom, a globally recognized genetic testing institution.

The results, which were directly sent to all parties involved, including Mr Ayeni, his wife, and Ms Alagwu, confirm without a doubt that Mr TundeAyeni is the biological father of Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni.

Any claims of falsification are not only defamatory but also a direct attack on the credibility of a reputable medical institution. If Mr Ayeni or his associates insist on this baseless claim, they should take legal action against the DDC an institution that follows strict international medical standards rather than engaging in public deceit. (See attached DNA test results.)

                3.            Mrs Biola Ayeni’s Full Knowledge & Involvement:

It is also a blatant falsehood to claim that Mrs BiolaAyeni is unaware of Ms Alagwu or her child. In February 2023, Mrs Ayeni personally traveled with Ms Alagwu and Omarosa to London for the DNA test.

If, as alleged, there was no child, why did Mrs Ayeni accompany them to a UK hospital for a paternity test? This contradiction exposes the deliberate lies being spread.

                4.            Acknowledgment of the Child’s Birth & Subsequent Denial:

Mr Ayeni was not only present during Omarosa’s birth in the United States but was also inside the delivery room, where he cut the umbilical cord himself. His name is officially recorded on Omarosa’s American birth certificate, bearing his signature.

There are photographs and multiple witnesses who can confirm this, making his current denials both fraudulent and disgraceful.

THE TRUTH CANNOT BE ERASED

Ms Alagwu has no interest in engaging in a public dispute over wealth, status, or assets. However, what she will not tolerate is the erasure of her child’s existence, the defamation of her character, and the malicious attempt to distort indisputable facts.

Omarosa Abimbola Ayeni is an innocent child, and no amount of manipulation, deception, or media propaganda will change the biological and legal facts.

We strongly advise all parties involved to exercise honesty, accountability, and discretion going forward.