The former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, on Thursday, approached the Federal High Court in Abuja for the termination of further hearing on the attempted murder case that was filed against his estranged wife, Ms Precious Chikwendu.
The former Minister, who was personally in court for the withdrawal of the suit, disclosed that differences he had with his ex-wife, have been amicably resolved.
The matter was originally fixed for Ms Chikwendu to take her plea to a 13-count charge marked FHCABJ/CR/1/2022, which was filed by the Police.
The Prosecution alleged that the former beauty queen had on November 24, 2018, attempted to stab the former Minister with a kitchen knife at his Asokoro residence in Abuja.
He told the court that Ms. Chikwendu had in a post she published on her Facebook page, derogatorily referred to Fani-Kayode as “Mr Short Fuse”.
She was accused of publishing a false information against the ex-minister by referring to him as “a person who is sexually incapacitated”, imputing that he is not the biological father of the four children she had for him as a wife.
Others that were equally cited as Defendants in the matter were; Emmanuel Anakan, Prisca Chikwendu and Osakwe Azubuike, while others were said to be at large.
Charges against the Defendants bordered on cybercrime, intimidation to kill Fani-Kayode by use of Internet, attempted culpable homicide, as well as threat to kill one Lauretta in a bid to frighten her to leave her relationship with the ex-Minister.
Meanwhile, when the matter was called for the Defendants to enter their plea on Thursday, the Prosecution counsel, Mr. John Ijagbemi, applied to withdraw the charge.
“My lord, the matter was slated for re-arraignment of the Defendants today.
“However, we want to plead to your lordship for the withdrawal of the case,” Ijagbemi stated.
He told the court that the Commissioner of Police for the FCT was in receipt of a letter from the nominal complainant (Fani-Kayode) about his intention to withdraw the case.
He said the withdrawal of the charge was provided for in Section 108 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015.
Following a no objection stance by counsel to the Defendants, Mr. Peter Abang, trial Justice Inyang Ekwo dismissed the suit.
Ms. Chikwendu was initially locked in child custody battle with Chief Fani-Kayode, following their separation in August 2020.
She had earlier approached an Abuja High Court to grant her access to the four sons she had with the former Minister-Aragon, Ragnar, Aiden and Liam Fani-Kayode.
Aside from demanding for a restraining order, as well as N800million from her erstwhile husband, Ms. Chikwendu told the court that their relationship was “a turbulent and unhappy one”.
Speaking to newsmen at the end of the proceedings on Thursday, counsel to the Defendants, Mr. Abang, maintained that the withdrawal of the case was a welcomed development.
Likewise, the Prosecution counsel, Ijagbemi, disclosed that the former Minister had in his letter to the Police, stressed that the dispute between him and his ex-wife was resolved through the intervention of family members.
“The whole family members had sat and amicably resolved the matter without any rancour or recourse to previous occurrences and they are happily standing and living together in love and in harmony
“And we, being an institution of government saddled with the responsibility of protection of lives and property, seeking peace and order in the society including individual family, we are glad to apply for the withdrawal of this case against the defendants.
“You all know that it is the family that is really involved and we are interested in the peace and tranquility of the family and that is why we have withdrawn it and it is our pleasure”, Ijagbemi added.
