Some fights between persons who were or are still in prominent public offices in Nigeria have refused to go away from the social media space despite public criticism and the cases being in court. Five of such involve FFK vs Snow White, Ohakim vs Lady Amuchienwa, Ned Nwoko vs Jaruma, Grace Bent vs Snow White, and Oba Ogunwusi vs Silekunola Naomi.
FFK, Chikwendu battle over defamation, child custody
Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani Kayode’s fight with his estranged wife, Precious Chikwendu, also known as Snow White, has dragged in the social media for over two years.
In September 2020, family sources hinted that the then 31-year-old former beauty queen had separated from the former minister over sundry issues bordering on an ailment and her outings without approval, which she later countered as a “tempestuous and violent relationship”.
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The same month, Snow White filed an N800 million suit against Fani Kayode before a Federal High Court seeking to enforce her fundamental human rights and to be granted custody of her four children.
The saga took a new twist when the ex-minister filed a criminal complaint against Snow White accusing her of defamation and forging documents on March 10, 2021, accusing him of physically assaulting her, and sexually harassing domestic staff, thereby embarrassing his reputation.
Snow White, her sister – Prisca Chikwendu, and another defendant, Emmanuel Anaka, were in November 2021 arraigned before an Abuja Magistrate Court on forgery and defamation charges.
The presiding magistrate, Elizabeth Woni, who granted them the sum of N2 million bail bond and one surety each in like sum, warned the prosecuting police officer, John Iyagbemi, to produce the remaining three defendants said to be at large before the court unfailingly.
In her affidavit seeking access to her children, Chikwendu claimed that she never consummated the marriage with the ex-minister for six years and that she had the kids through artificial means. She further claimed the ex-minister did not pay her bride price nor perform customary statutory rites.
She further averred that in the course of the marriage, she found out that the ex-minister’s marriage to his third wife, the Ghanaian Regina, subsisted.
The ex-minister had since denied the claims, accusing her of suffering from “bipolar disorder” and schizophrenia”.
To draw global attention to her plight, Chikwendu reportedly launched an online petition to the United Nations titled, ‘Justice for Snowhite and sons’ seeking the signature of 7, 500 persons to be heard by the relevant human rights committee. Within a short time, the online petition gathered 6000 signatures
Ohakim battles Lady Chinyere over land, nude videos
The fight between a former governor of Imo State, Ikedi Ohakim, and Lady Chinyere Amuchienwa became public and has remained on social media since May 2020.
Trouble started after Amuchienwa was arrested by the police based on a complaint by Ohakim accusing her of threatening him with a gun in his hotel room in Asokoro, Abuja.
The ex-governor said Amuchienwa was his political associate whom he gave N100 million to work for him as the governorship candidate of the Accord Party for the 2019 governorship campaign, which she failed to give an account of.
Amuchienwa on her part accused the ex-governor of defrauding her of the sum of N500m under the pretence that he had a plot of land at Ikeja, Lagos from the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.
Although Ohakim denied the allegations, the saga took a new twist after Amuchienwa claimed the police on July 2021 arrested her at the premises of the Federal High Court, Abuja, and detained her for two weeks, adding that she was locked in a toilet, denied access to family and friends over alleged false information.
Between both parties, there has been a series of court cases including Amuchienwa’s criminal complaint alleging land fraud against Ohakim before an FCT High Court filed in January 2021, which was followed in February 2021 by Ohakim’s N5bn defamation suit before an Imo State High Court.
On a further complaint by Amuchienwa, in July 2021, the Legal/Prosecution Section of the Force Criminal Investigation Department in Abuja filed criminal charges against Ohakim and his associate, Chinedu Okpareke, accusing them of conspiracy to cause annoyance, criminal intimidation, and threat to upload nude pornographic videos of Amuchienwa.
The police charge reads, “That you Chinedu Okpaleke ‘m’, Dr Ikedi Ohakim ‘m’, and others now at large, on or about the 13th day of August 2020, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court did, by means of computer system or network, send a nude picture, indecent obscene or menacing characters to one Chinyere Amuchienwa ‘f’ and thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention Etc) Act 2015.”
The police said the alleged offences are punishable under Section 27(1)(a) of the Cybercrime (Prohibition Prevention etc) Act, 2005. section 140 of the Penal Code Law of Northern Nigeria, 1968.
As the arraignment of Ohakim has been fixed for February 24, Amuchienwa has vowed not to give up until justice is served in the matter, saying “I am a fighter and I will fight to finish no matter what it takes or how long it takes, justice must be given.”
Ned nails Jaruma over defamation, aphrodisiac
The last may not have been heard in the social media of the row between billionaire businessman Ned Munir Nwoko and popular aphrodisiac seller, Hauwa Saidu Mohammed, aka Jaruma, over defamation.
Trouble started in November 2021 when Jaruma took to Instagram to claim that Nwoko’s marriage to Moroccan Laila Charani crashed due to his younger wife and Nollywood artist, Regina Daniel’s, use of one of her local products Kayanmata on him.
In an Instagram video in December 2021, Jaruma expressed dissatisfaction with Nwoko over his comments against Laila, which she suggested was unbecoming of his age while querying whether music artist Davido makes such posts about his estranged wife, Chioma.
Although both Nwoko and Regina, in their posts, refuted the cause of the marriage crisis, and instead linked it to Laila’s controversial vacation to the UK, Jaruma’s refusal to pull down the post, according to Regina, forced Nwoko to make a complaint to the Nigeria Police.
Following the complaint, the police invited Jaruma and later released her. But she was rearrested and charged before an Upper Area Court in Zuba, FCT, which on January 24 remanded her in the Nigerian Correctional Centre Suleja following her fresh video about police intimidation. She was on January 28 granted bail in the sum of N10m and one surety in like sum.
While the bail application of the sex therapist was being decided, a group of placard-carrying youths protested against her, urging the court to deny her bail for trading on “fake news and fake products.”
However, throwing his weight behind Jaruma, Sahara Reporters publisher and former presidential aspirant, Omoyele Sowore, accused the former member of the House of Representatives Nwoko of “using police to oppress Nigerians.”
After her bail, Jaruma posted a video in front of the correctional centre with loads of provisions for inmates of the facility, including nursing mothers.
She expressed gratitude to Linda Ikeji, Tonto Dike, and others.
Bent bends Snow White over defamation
The fight between Senator Grace Bent and former beauty queen Precious Chikwendu, also known as Snow White, which has been on since August 2021 assumed a bigger dimension with the defamation case before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
On January 24, Justice Obiora Egwuatu adjourned till March 10 the arraignment of Chikwendu on allegations of criminal defamation of character brought by Senator Bent.
Chikwendu had on August 4, 2021, in an Instagram post, accused Bent of joining her ex-husband, Femi Fani Kayode, to use police to intimidate her.
Chikwendu shared a photo of a letter from the police inviting her for questioning at the Force Criminal Investigation Department Abuja, adding that she is being investigated in a case of criminal intimidation, blackmail, defamation of character, and malicious publication.
Grace Bent in a statement by her spokesperson, Timothy Williams, denied the reports on social media against her, adding that she has reported to the police and consulting with her lawyers.
Fani Kayode on December 19, 2021, also released a statement denying Bent’s involvement in his marital issues, while condemning social media attacks on Bent’s daughter, Jackie B, in the social media.
Oba Ogunwusi’s marriage saga with Queen Naomi
The marriage saga between the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and estranged wife, Queen Naomi Silekunola, has dragged on for two years in the social media space.
Rumours of a crack in the royal marriage after she disappeared from the palace forced the Olori to make an Instagram post in May 2020, explaining her absence at the palace.
The queen, who is also a prophetess in a Christian ministry, said she had been focused on her ministry works and that was one of the reasons for her moving outside the palace.
“Please you all disregard every fake and malicious news about me and my husband (Ooni Adeyeye Babatunde Enitan Ogunwusi) for ours is a love no earthly force is strong enough to break,” she posted.
But in December 2021, reports of Olori’s divorce began trending on social media forcing the Ile-Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife, Osun State to release a statement denying knowledge of the marriage crash, insisting that her Instagram account was hacked.
The palace spokesman, Moses Olafere stated that the palace first read about the development on social media, “the announcement of separation is subject to agreement by both parties. So, to that extent, the palace is not aware of such separation because we all went to bed last night having the king and queen being together.”
In the course of the raging dispute, there were reports that the palace withdrew the olori’s cars and security details.
However, there are social media reports of a reconciliatory meeting between the families of the Ooni and Olori.
