An Upper Area Court in Abuja has fixed September 24 for hearing in a paternity dispute suit involving a former minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Kabiru Turaki.
This followed an order of the court’s judge, Shehu Ahmadu, restraining parties involved in a dispute over the paternity of the grand-daughter of Turaki’s former acquaintance, Uwani Arabi.
The ex-minister had in the ex-parte application sought to restrain the Inspector General of Police and family members of Musa Baffa, his wife, Uwani Arabi and daughter, Hadiza Baffa pending the determination of the suit filed before a high court.
Others restrained by the court are Nigeria Police Force (NPF), the DIG Force CID, Sylvester Alabi, AIG Force CID, Muhammad Dan Kwara (Force CID), CP Admin, Force CID, Musbahu Ajani, CSP Mohammed Gashua and SP Ibrahim Shugaba.
Turaki had in the suit marked: CV/35/2024 claimed that Hadiza, her mother, Uwani and father, falsely accused him of being the father of her baby girl.
The ex-minister claimed that sometime in 2016, he had advised Uwani to secure admission for her daughter, Hadiza, in Kano, Sokoto or Ilorin after she called him on the phone and sought his advice on her plans to relocate her from the University of Maiduguri, because of the activities of Boko Haram.
The ex-minister added that after some weeks of the previous discussion, Uwani called and told him that she was coming to Abuja together with Hadiza and begged him to arrange accommodation for them which he obliged her with the Ideal Guest House, Garki, which was a furnished apartment that is let out for short or long stays.
He said Uwani secured admission for Hadiza at Baze University in Abuja and he supported her with N1 million out of the N3 million for registration fees.
He alleged that Ms Uwani pleaded with him to serve as a guardian for her daughter, Hadiza, which he did by seeing to her upkeep without knowing they had changed her surname to Turaki without his knowledge.
He explained that he sent Hadiza away, and Uwani later called her to say that she was pregnant for him.
On their part, Hadiza and Uwani stated that it was the ex-minister who reached out to offer this help “by enrolling her into Baze University in Abuja, bearing the cost of her education and accommodation; and serving as her guardian” because he considered her as his daughter.