Former beauty queen, Precious Chikwendu, was on Monday
docked before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja for allegedly attempting to
murder her former husband, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode,
The police arraigned Chikwendu and three others before
Justice Inyang Ekwo on charges of attempted culpable homicide.
Others arraigned alongside Precious include Emmanuel Anakan,
Prisca Chikwendu and Osakwe Azubuike as 1st, 3rd and 4th defendants
respectively, while other are said to be at large.
The Commissioner of Police, Federal Capital Territory (FCT)
alleged that Ms Chikwendu and three others attempted to stab Fani-Kayode with a
kitchen knife on Nov. 24, 2018 at Asokoro, within the court jurisdiction.
In the 13-count charge dated and filed on Jan. 7, the
defendants were also alleged to have committed offences bordering on
cybercrime, intimidation to kill Fani-Kayode by use of Internet, threat to kill
one Lauretta in order to cause her to leave her relationship with Fani-Kayode.
They were alleged to have criminally used internet to send
abusive messages with intent to bully, defame and harass her ex-husband.
They were alleged to have fabricated false evidence by
deposing to series of affidavits that Chief Fani-Kayode physically and sexually
assaulted members of his domestics staff in inhuman conduct by causing same to
be
electronically published in a national daily.
Chikwendu was also alleged to have, through her Facebook
page, referred to Fani-Kayode as “Mr Short Fuse,” and that on Dec. 7, 2021.
She was alleged to have published a false imputation against
the ex-minister “by referring to him as a person who is sexually incapacitated
and that he is not the biological father of the four children she had for him
as a wife.”
The defendants, however, pleaded not guilty to all the
counts, which are said to be punishable under Section 392 of the Penal Code,
among others.
The prosecuting counsel, John Ijagbemi, who prayed the court
for a date to commence trial said seven witnesses would testify in the matter.
He said apart from the documentary evidence that would be
tendered, electronic evidence had also been compiled to prosecute the case.
Alex Ejesieme, SAN, counsel to the ex-wife (2nd defendant),
urged the court to admit the defendants to bail based on the earlier
administrative bail granted them by the police.
“Did you give them
administrative bail?” the judge asked.
“Yes, we did my lord, with two sureties,” Ijagbemi
responded.
Justice Ekwo, who fixed April 27, April 28 and April 29 for
trial.
He ordered the defendants to continue on the terms of
administrative bail earlier granted.
He directed the prosecution to submit all particulars of the
defendants to the court registrar.
In an interview shortly after the sitting, Ijagbemi said the
complainant would amend the charge to include an attempt by Chikwendu to kill
the four children she had for the ex-minister.
“Because there are facts available to us that the 2nd
defendant (Precious Chikwendu) attempted to kill her own children which we will
bring to court in the next adjourned date,” he said.
However, effort to talk to Ejesieme, lawyer to the ex-wife,
was unsuccessful as he refused to grant interview.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Chikwendu, who
was accused of infidelity by the former minister, was also said to have
withdrawn various civil cases filed against Fani-Kayode.
Although the duo had parted ways, the former minister said
Chikwendu had always been given access to her children under closed supervision
due to her alleged mental challenges which could result to hurting the
children.
The former minister had also alleged that Chikwendu stopped
calling the children on telephone for about seven months now contrary to her
habit in the past.
NAN reports that the ex-wife’s arraignment in an alleged
defamation of character suit filed against her by former Senator, Mrs Grace
Bent, on Jan. 24, before Justice Obiora Egwuatu of FHC was stalled due to her
absence in court.
Chikwendu, an ex-beauty queen, was neither in court nor any
lawyer represented her and the judge fixed March 10 for her arraignment.
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