Beauty queen, Precious Chikwendu arraigned for attempted murder of ex-hubby, Fani-Kayode
By Benjamin Omoike
The Nigerian Police on Monday arraigned Mrs Precious Chikwendu, the estranged wife of former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, at the Federal High Court Abuja.
Precious, an ex-beauty queen, was docked before Justice Inyang Ekwo, over an allegation of attempting to murder her former husband.
In the case marked, FHCABJ/CR/1/2022 filed by the Commissioner of Police against Ms Chikwendu and three others, the police accused her of attempting to stab Mr Fani-Kayode with a kitchen knife on November 24, 2018, at Asokoro, Abuja.
Docked alongside Precious, are Emmanuel Anakan, Prisca Chikwendu and Osakwe Azubuike as 1st, 3rd and 4th defendants respectively; while others are said to be at large. In the 13-count charge, dated and filed on January 7, the defendants were also alleged to have committed offenses bordering on cyber crime, intimidation to kill Mr Fani-Kayode by use of Internet, threat to kill one Lauretta, in order to cause her to leave her relationship with Mr Fani-Kayode.
They were also alleged to have fabricated false evidence by deposing to series of affidavits that Mr Fani-Kayode physically and sexually assaulted members of his domestic staff in inhuman conduct by causing same to be electronically published in a national daily.
The embattled Precious was also accused of using her Facebook page on December 7, 2021, to refer Fani-Kayode as “Mr Short Fuse”.
She was also 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.”
Meanwhile, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all the charges which are said to be punishable under Section 392 of the Penal Code, among others.
The prosecuting counsel, John Ijagbemi, requested for a date to begin trial.
Alex Ejesieme, SAN, counsel to Precious, urged the court to admit the defendants to bail on already existing administrative bail granted them by the police. Justice Ekwo has fixed April 27, 28 and 29, for commencement of trial.
