N250,000: Court urges Atiku’s son, ex wife to resolve dispute

Justice Kazeem Alogba described the estranged couple’s dispute over the N250,000-a-month a Tinubu Magistrates’ Court, Lagos ordered Atiku to pay, as a waste of time. Atiku, a son of former Vice President Abubakar Atiku, had approached the court to suspend the N250,000 payment because it was “onerous.” He argued that he was already satisfying all his children’s needs, a view which was disputed by Bolori. In his ruling, Justice Kazeem Alogba upheld Atiku’s application. The judge noted that Atiku had presented evidence to show that he had been substantially meeting the educational, medical, feeding and other needs of the ex-couple’s daughter, Ameera, 11 and son, Aamir, 7. Justice Alogba held: “I am satisfied that the applicant has very substantially complied with the lower court’s order….I grant the stay of execution … pending the determination of the appeal.” The judge further urged Counsel in the matter – M.O Enitan for Atiku and N. E. Okoh for Bolori – to advise their clients to “…put heads together to arrive at a reasonable sum in the children’s interest instead of wasting time litigating this appeal.” He adjourned hearing of the substantive suit till June 14. Neither Atiku nor Bolori were in court. The judge’s ruling followed an appeal filed by Atiku seeking to upturn, among others, the January 10, 2018, decision of Chief Magistrate Kikelomo Ayeye of the Tinubu Magistrates’ Court hich granted Bolori full custody of both children. Bolori, daughter of Maiduguri businessman Alhaji Bukar Bolori, married Aminu in Ghana in 2007, but the couple separated in 2011. On October 18, 2017, Chief Magistrate Ayeye temporarily remanded Atiku in a transit cell within the court’s premises after citing him for alleged contempt. Atiku allegedly kept Aamir from his mother, contrary to an October 11, 2017 order of the court. There was further drama at the Tinubu Magistrate’s Court on January 10 following Chief Magistrate Ayeye’s judgment. The boy’s mother claimed that Aminu snatched Aamir and drove off with him. But the issue was resolved the next day when Amir was handed over to Bolori at the domestic wing of the Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja.]]>