The crisis between Precious Chikwendu, estranged wife of Femi Fani-Kayode, has taken an interesting dimension with a fundamental rights enforcement filed by her at a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The plaintiff in the suit filed against Fani-Kayode, Inspector-General of Police, his officers and men (joined as defendants), wherein she is claiming the sum of N800m as damages.
Other respondents were the Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Force CID, Commissioner of Police, FCT, CSP James Idachaba (OC Legal CID), FCT Command.
The plaintiff said she was demanding the said amount because of the roles of the respondents in intimidating and harassing her during the pendency of her custody suit.
Specifically, Chikwendu, in the suit filed by her lawyer, Abdul-Aziz Jimoh, asked the court to restrain the IGP, his officers and men from intimidating and harassing her in any form, pending the hearing and determination of her suit seeking the custody of her four children for Fani-Kayode.
The applicant is also asking for an order enforcing her fundamental human rights as she was apprehensive of an imminent violation of such rights in actualisation of threats to her life by Fani-Kayode and in the face of the nonchalant and refusal of the first, second and third respondents (IGP, DIG Force CID and CP FCT) to investigate her genuine petitions of threat to life against the 5th respondent (Fani-Kayode).
Chikwendu sought for a declaration that she was not bound to honor the invitation of the 1st to 4th respondents in relation to a purported conspiracy and forgery of court records during the pendency of suit no CV/372/2021 between her and the 5th respondent.
In an affidavit in support of the application deposed to by Chikwendu, she averred that “I was in a most tempestuous and violent relationship with the 5th respondent (Fani-Kayode), a qualified legal practitioner, a politician and a former Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The 5th respondent and I have four children together and I am forcefully separated from our children who are all minors.
“Consequent upon the unbridled violence perpetrated against me by the 5th respondent and the forceful separation from our children, I filed a suit in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja with Suit No CV/372/2021.
“Rather than allow the contending matters placed before the FCT High Court to be determined by the Honorable Court, the 5th respondent has persisted in using the police officers under the control of the 1st respondent (IGP) and supervised by the 2nd respondent (Commissioner of Police FCT) incessantly to intimidate and harass me with a view to interfering in the adjudicatory powers of a competent court of justice.”
Chikwendu said she had also petitioned the Commissioner of Police, FCT, the 3rd respondent, alleging threats to her life by the 5th respondent and that the Commissioner had refused to act on her petition thus prompting her to go to court to enforce her fundamental human rights.
No date has been fixed for mentioning of the matter.
(Punch)