It doesn't look like the legal tussle over the custody of Precious Chikwendu's four sons for her estranged husband, former aviation minister, Femi Fan
It doesn’t look like the legal tussle over the custody of Precious Chikwendu’s four sons for her estranged husband, former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode may be ending an time soon as Fani-Kayode who recently defected to the ruling All Progressives Party from the opposition party, People’s Democratic Party, has filed a counter-affidavit in response to the claims Chikwendu made in an earlier suit.
Chikwendu had filed a suit in March against five respondents demanded N800 million as damages for the alleged role the respondents played in “intimidating and harassing” her during the pendency of her custody suit.
The five respondents are her estranged husband, Fani-kayode; the Inspector General of Police; the deputy inspector General of Police; the FCT Commissioner of Police and Chief Superintendent of Police, James Idachaba.
In addition to the suit filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja through her lawyer, Abdul Aziz Jimoh, Previous equally asked the Senate Committee on Police Affairs to “conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the issues raised in her petition and that the IGP be compelled to stop forthwith in engaging in a less salubrious alliance with Fani-Kayode in his child custody dispute pending at the FCT High Court and the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal.”
But Fani-Kayode, has however, filed a nine paged counter-affidavit in response to the claims Chikwendu made in her suit. The ex-minister dismissed her claim that he “violently” separated Chikwendu from their children.
“Despite the enormity of the Applicant’s brazen amoral acts, several entities had been made to her, in returning home or visiting the children, but she completely rebuffed all.
“In a recent letter which was written to her Solicitor handling the matrimonial case, his attention was drawn to the fact that there has been no time that the Applicant was deprived physical access to her children, in as much as she has been speaking to them on phone and doing video calls with them.
“The Applicant only plays the victim and cries foul of deprivation of access or separation from her children, when indeed, she does not deeply desire to be with them.”
Fani-Kayode also alleged that his estranged wife never extended maternal care to their children as she had a “medical condition that deprived her of any filial bond with them”.
The former minister also claimed his estranged wife refused to breastfeed their kids on account of “preserving her body shape”.
“It is not surprising that Ms. Precious Chikwendu is capable of such reckless abandonment,” the ex-minister said in the suit.
“Whilst she was with me in the house afore-described, she employed 12 in-house nannies to cater for the children, excluding supervisors and nurses who equally attend to them.
“Applicant did not at any time extend maternal care to the children, for the reason that she had a medical condition which deprived her of any filial bond with them.
“She deprived the children of the natural sucks or breast milk, also on account of the need to preserve her body shape, coupled with a contrived medical condition which she claimed would not permit her to breastfeed them.”
“Apart from the fact that the Applicant became extremely hostile and dangerous, I further depose as follows:
“That when she was taken to the psychiatric home, I was there with her for 3 months, in which I slept in the hospital everyday;
“When she returned home, the Applicant claimed she was hearing voices in the house and could no longer stay in it;
“Applicant was overwhelmed with the love I showed in the hospital, despite her patent wickedness;
“She stopped taking her medications, contrary to medical advice and moved out to an apartment where she currently stays, using the money I gave her to pay for it;
“Applicant frames these anxieties up, because she has refused to admit herself to medical help, for a lasting recovery.
22. It is not true that I am colluding with the Police, because the evidence already shows that the Police is aware of her very turbulent domestic history, against her children and myself.
Fani-Kayode further claimed that Chikwendu threatened to “kill” him and their kids unprovoked, and put their life at risk with her “un-repented sexual escapades”.
“Amongst others, an incidence of a threat to my life by the Applicant, was also reported to the Police sometime in November 2019, when one of my security details had to call the Police at night, because the Applicant was all out to kill me and the children.
“The investigation report clearly showed that the Applicant was suspected to be on illicit drugs, that was why she held to ransom the whole house and Police Unit intervention for 3 hours.
“The Finding of the Report clearly states as follows:
“i. That on 23/11/2019, at about 1120 hrs, a distress call was received from one Insp Bako Maina “m” attached to Special Protection Unit Base seven FHQ posted to the Residence of Chief Femi Fani Kayode ‘’m’” of No. 5, Zuma Close, off Udi Hill Street Aso Drive Asokoro involving his wife one Precious Chikwendu “f” of the same address;
ii. That on same date at about 1130 hours, the suspect became hostile and aggressive holding two knives and block at the entrance to the bedrooms upstairs and knocking at the doors of the children and threatening to kill anybody that come [sic] close to her.
iii. That this persisted for an hour before the inspector could made [make] the distress call and the DPO responded in affirmative to arrest the situation on ground.
iv. That when the DPO arrives with her men, it took almost 3 hrs to deserted [sic] from her act but she could not listen until a minimal force was applied before she was dispossessed of her dangerous weapon.
v. That after dispossession, she was handed over to psychiatric doctor that took her to the hospital to ascertain her mental status as she bite [sic] and injured three persons in the process.”
He alleged that Chikwendu had an affair with a naval officer who accused her of misleading him by claiming she was single.
On this basis, Fani-Kayode asked the court to dismiss Chikwendu’s suit, which he described as “lacking in merit”.
“I know that the instant suit is nothing but a smokescreen intended to avoid the long arms of justice and to malign me. There is no merit whatsoever in this suit, which was filed in abuse of court and judicial process.It ts in the interest of justice to dismiss this suit for lacking in merit.”
