A viral social media post claiming that Nigerian business mogul and United Bank for Africa (UBA) Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, has divorced his wife after an alleged DNA test involving their seven children is false.
The claim, which has circulated widely on social media, alleges that a DNA test supposedly showed that Elumelu was not the biological father of his seven children.
However, UBA has formally dismissed the allegation, describing the publication as false, defamatory and malicious. The bank said the claim that Elumelu had divorced his wife, Dr Awele Elumelu, was fabricated and intended to mislead the public and cause reputational harm.
The matter also escalated into a legal case. Nigerian police subsequently arraigned social media users accused of publishing and circulating the claim, with prosecutors telling the court that the allegation about the supposed divorce and DNA results was false and defamatory.
Elumelu’s official biography continues to identify Dr Awele Vivien Elumelu as his wife and states that they have seven children.
The viral image supplied for this report therefore should not be treated as evidence that Tony Elumelu divorced his wife or that any DNA test produced the alleged results.
