Aminu Atiku, the son of former Vice President,
Atiku Abubakar, allegedly kidnapped his own son, Aamir, after losing full custody of his two children to his former wife, Fatima Bolori, at the Tinubu’s Magistrate Court in
Lagos on Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
According to Bolori, Aminu snatched 7-year-old Aamir from her on the court premises and took him away after the Chief Magistrate, Kikelomo Ayeye, granted her full custody.
Bolori’s counsel, Nwabuzor-Ethel Okoh, backed up her claim saying that Aminu had refused to hand over the boy after locking him in the car.
Okoh said, “The boy is not with us. He snatched the boy from the mother and spirited him away today (yesterday), even after the final ruling on custody earlier made by the court. We are now trying to get across to him and the boy.
“He snatched the boy from his mother and drove off. We never suspected anything like this was going to happen, otherwise I would have told the boy’s mom to drive away with her kids.”
Bolori was granted full custody after Aminu failed to file a response to her application.
During Wednesday’s ruling, Chief Magistrate Ayeye ordered Aminu to pay Bolori N250,000 monthly for the upkeep of the children.
The ruling read, “The respondent failed to file a response. In view of the deliberate absence of the respondent and his legal team, I am constrained to make these following orders in default of respondent’s presence.
“In the best interest of the children to wit: Unmi Fatima Bolori is hereby granted full custody of Aamir Abubakar Sadiq Aminu Atiku (seven years) and Ameera Amina Atiku (nine years).
“The applicant is allowed to reside with the children at her residence at Katampe Extension, Abuja. The applicant is ordered to put the children in schools suited for their educational needs in
Abuja.
“Access is granted to the respondent to visit his children in Abuja and request for the children to spend holidays with him. The respondent is ordered to pay monthly upkeep for the children in the amount of N250,000 monthly beginning January 2018.
“The respondent is ordered to effect medical insurance on each of the children.”
Aminu and his legal team were not present in the courtroom for the ruling on Wednesday but arrived around 1pm and was seen laughing and playing with Aamir and his daughter, Ameera before the alleged abduction happened at 1:59 pm.
Aminu and Bolori got married in 2007, but separated in 2011.
History of court contempt
Chief Magistrate Ayeye was compelled to temporarily remand Aminu in a transit cell within the court’s premises on October 18, 2017, after citing him for alleged contempt when he kept Aamir from Bolori against the court’s earlier order.