The Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) judiciary, sitting at Gudu, Abuja, has fixed Tuesday, October 28 to hear application
The Sharia Court of Appeal of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) judiciary, sitting at Gudu, Abuja, has fixed Tuesday, October 28 to hear applications by parties on the custody of the child of Prince Abdulmalik Ado Ibrahim and his ex-wife, Adama Indimi.
Abdulmalik, a son of the late Ohinoyi of Ebiraland, Alhaji Ado Ibrahim and his former wife got married on August 8, 2020 but got separated after four years on August 26, 2024 with their divorce formalised at the Upper Area Court, Gudu, which issued a valid divorce certificate.
The marriage was blessed with a child as of the time of their divorce.
Based on Islamic law, which grants custody of an underage child to the mother, while the father is to be fully responsible for the child’s financial upbringing, counsel for Adama Indimi, Mohammed Aliyu, approached the Upper Area Court, Kado, to seek full custody of the child for the mother.
The Prince’s former wife in her processes, further asked for a monthly maintenance fee to be paid by the father, covering feeding, clothing, social amenities and salary for the child’s Filipino nanny at $2,000 plus ₦100,000 monthly.
She further sought an order of the court compelling Prince Ibrahim to pay both conventional and Islamic school fees once the child attains school age.
Also, she sought an order compelling the father to assist with all legal documentation for the child, including birth certificate, National Identification Number, international passport and visa as well as any other orders deemed necessary for the child’s welfare.
However, counsel for Prince Ibrahim, Darlington Onyekwere, conceded custody of the child to the mother, following which the court entered part judgment accordingly.
The Prince, however, offered to be paying the sum of N1million monthly instead of the $2,000 monthly sought by his ex-wife and proposed that school fees be paid directly to the child’s school, not through the mother.
Later, the defence sought to amend its counterclaim in Paragraph 5, which had originally proposed the ₦1 million payment.
Meanwhile, the claimant alleged that her witnesses could not continue testifying due to frustration.
The counsel for the former wife subsequently requested the court to compel Prince Ibrahim to personal appearance before the court and present his six-month bank statements to prove financial capacity.
However, following his dissatisfaction with the order of the lower court, Ibrahim filed an appeal at the Sharia Court of Appeal against the ruling that compelled his attendance with bank statements.
He alleged that the presiding judge is bias.
Despite the appeal at the Sharia appellate court, Indimi asked the Upper Area Court, Kado, to issue a bench warrant for the arrest of her former husband in order to ensure his appearance before the court.
The matter is pending at the Upper Area Court, Kado and has been slated for Monday, October 27 for continuation hearing.
Meanwhile, at the resumed hearing of Prince Ibrahim’s appeal at the FCT Sharia Court of Appeal on Tuesday, counsel for the appellant, Mark Asu-Opi, who held the brief of Darlington Onyekwere, told the court that the appellant’s former wife served him her counter-affidavit this morning.
He told the court that the appellant needed time to study the counter affidavit and subsequently file appropriate reply.
He then sought an adjournment to enable the appellant to respond.
While responding Indimi’s counsel, Mohammed Aliyu, told the court that though the respondent served the appellant her counter affidavit today, she was still within time.
While submitting that the court is not a court of technicalities, Aliyu asserted that nothing stops the respondent from moving her pending application and the appellant would then move his too.
After listening to parties’ arguments, the three-member appeal panel led by Grand Khadi Ibrahim Rufai Imam adjourned the appeal to October 28 to hear both parties’ applications.
