Nigeria Former Vice President Atiku’s son reignites legal tussle with ex-wife over custody of children

Aminu Atiku, son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has asked a Lagos high court in Igbosere to upturn a magistrate court’s decision to strip him of the custody of his two children.

The lower court had on January 10 awarded custody of the two children — Ameera (girl, 11) and Aamir (boy, 7) — to Unmi Fatima Bolori, his ex-wife.

Bolori and Atiku got married in 2007 but separated in 2011.Atiku, who at the time failed to file a response to Bolori’s application for child custody, was also ordered to pay the ex-wife N250,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children.

Kikelomo Ayeye, the chief magistrate that handled the case, had also asked him to carry out a medical insurance for each child.

Atiku was said to have fled with his son after the judgement.

He has, however, filed two applications at the high court — one seeking leave to appeal the magistrate court’s judgment and the other for a stay of further execution of its terms.

Speaking when the court sat on Thursday, Atiku argued that the lower court disregarded his right to a fair hearing before granting the judgment.

Oyinkan Badejo, Atiku’s counsel, told the court that her client has shown sufficient ground for the grant of the application by virtue of his right to fair hearing.

She also argued that the magistrate court erred in hearing and granting Bolori’s application for custody on a date the suit was fixed for mention.

“We are not seeking a stay of the execution of the judgment. But some of the terms were onerous. We were asked to pay N250,000 for the upkeep of two young children, medical allowances, etc. We find that rather onerous,” she said.

Bolori’s lawyers — ON Olabisi and Ethel Okoh — opposed her prayers.

They cited the interest of the two children, among other things, as justification for the lower court’s judgement.

The judge granted Atiku leave to appeal the judgement and subsequently adjourned further hearing till May 17