Entertainment
Nedu, Ex-Wife Disagree over How Children Were Handed Over to OAP
Comedian Chinedu Ani, better known as Nedu, says his ex-wife, Uzoamaka Ohiri, willingly handed their two daughters to him at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, on Tuesday.
She, however, told The PUNCH that she did so under duress.
Nedu also posted the statement written by his ex-wife at the SCID, wherein she stated, among other things, that she was handing the children over because she had challenges with rent.
In the statement, she said she would be given full access to the children while they remain in her ex-husband’s custody.
The statement she wrote at the SCID reads in part, “I, Uzoamaka, on this 28th day of September, 2021, handed over my daughters, Kaylah six years old, and Praise, four years old, to their father, Mr. Chinedu Emmanuel Ani.
“I brought them back from Owerri where they were staying with my mother, Mrs. Uzoamaka Ohiri, because our rent in Lagos had expired so my kids arrived in Lagos on the 27th of September, 2021.
“Mr. Chinedu has agreed that as the children are with him, I Uzoamaka will have uninterrupted access to the kids and if their school is changed, I will be informed until the court grants any one of us custody of our daughters.”
In addition to explaining how he took over the two female children, the comedian also posted receipts of the air ticket he booked for his ex-wife to fly the children down to Lagos from Owerri where they were staying with their maternal grandmother.
Explaining the issue via his verified Instagram page, Nedu states:
“I am sad that once again, I need to clear the air on what I consider a private matter. But for the sake of all the parties involved, it is pertinent that I do so.
“Please let the following be clear to all journalists, blogs, news platforms, etc;
“1. Contrary to the rumours being peddled around, I do take care of my children and will continue to as it is my duty.
“2. Neither I nor the police forcefully took my kids away from my ex-wife. It was a unanimous agreement. Please feel free to read her handwritten statement and also see the bag with which she brought their clothes.
“3. The children in question were taken to Owerri to live for over a month without my consent or permission. My ex-wife took that decision without consulting me… I paid for the flight for her to go and bring them back to Lagos after it was agreed by all parties that it was better they were returned to Lagos especially as they school in Lagos.
“4. I am a person who believes in doing things the right way and so far on this matter, I have stayed within the provisions of the law. A case was filed against my ex-wife for cyber-bullying and other grievances. She was invited to respond and the matter is ongoing alongside custody resolution.
“I am tired of the sensational manner in which this news is being dispersed. I do not grant interviews or speak on the matter to the press. I would advise my ex-wife and her cousins/sister to follow suit.
“We are not dealing with inanimate objects here but living and breathing beings who will one day deal with the consequences of this fall-out.
“I truly want to continue to focus on my career, my family and my life as I am not the first or the last man to have a failed marriage.”
In a swift reaction, however, the ex-wife told The PUNCH that the Police and Nedu forced her to hand over her kids against her will.
Uzoamaka said that, for several days when she was reporting at the SCID, she was treated as a crime suspect by the Police, while her lawyer was usually not allowed to be in the interrogation room with her.
The comedian’s ex-wife said Nedu was allowed to bring in phones and take pictures at the SCID, while she was always made to leave her phone at the entrance, which, she said, was evidence that the Police were partial.
She alleged that her phone was eventually seized by the Police, all in a bid to prevent her from writing anything about her ordeal on social media.
The 37-year-old mother-of-three wondered why the Police would get involved in a purely civil case and why it was at a Police facility that the children were handed over to Nedu.
She said, “That is so untrue. Those people have dealt with me so much. They have threatened me and forced me to do things that I didn’t want to do.
“My children were not meant to be back in Lagos. Those people have threatened me so much.
“Yes, we’ve been having rent issues. Yes, we’ve been asking him to support and help us, which he has refused to do. So, these people have done a whole lot.
“There is nothing like willingly giving him my children. There was nothing like that.
“Nedu is just hell-bent on getting rid of me. I have a lawyer, but every time he came with me to the Police, they would send him out; but Nedu would be allowed to enter with at least five people, including one NGO woman, Landa, his prophet and his co-workers. They all troop in while they don’t allow me to see my lawyer.”
Uzoamaka and Nedu have been engaged in a messy feud in the last one month.
She had called out her ex-husband, accusing him of domestic violence and refusing to take care of the family.
Nedu had also responded by posting a DNA test result of their first child and only son, which showed that he was not the child’s biological father.
The Punch
The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has condemned an alleged order by a Magistrate Court in Kano State reportedly directing two social media content creators, Idris Mai Wushirya and Basira Yar Guda, to marry each other within 60 days.
The court directive reportedly followed a case against the duo over the circulation of a video deemed “indecent” by state authorities.
The content, which went viral on TikTok and other platforms, featured affectionate scenes between the two influencers.
The Kano State Films and Video Censorship Board claimed the video violated public morality and religious codes governing conduct in the state.
Magistrate Halima Wali reportedly handed down the marriage directive on Monday after arraigning the pair on charges relating to the production and distribution of obscene content online.
Reacting to the development, NBA President Afam Osigwe described the court order as a “grave misunderstanding of the limits of judicial authority under the Nigerian Constitution and constitutes an affront to the fundamental rights of the individuals concerned.”
Osigwe noted that no court has the power to compel any person to marry another person or two persons to mandatorily marry, adding: “It is indeed unconstitutional and therefore unlawful for any court to purport to have power to make such an order.”
He added that such an order would constitute a violation of several fundamental rights guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
“Marriage, by its very nature, is a voluntary union between consenting adults. It cannot, under any circumstance, be imposed as a form of punishment, moral correction, or judicial remedy.
“No court in Nigeria possesses the constitutional authority to compel two persons to marry, and any attempt to do so violates the rights to personal liberty, dignity of the human person, and privacy as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).”
The alleged order, according to the NBA president, is an example of judicial overreach that not only infringes on personal freedoms but also could undermine public trust in the legal system.
“The courts must remain the bastion of justice and protectors of constitutional rights, not instruments for enforcing social conformity or moral compulsion,” Osigwe added.
The NBA then called for an immediate review of this decision by Magistrate Halima Wali and urged the relevant judicial authorities to take steps to prevent a recurrence of such unconstitutional orders.
It also directed the NBA Citizens’ Liberties Committee and Women’s Forum to monitor the situation to ensure that the rule of law prevails.
Globacom, through its social investment vehicle, Glo Foundation, on Friday hosted hundreds of girls from various secondary schools across the country to a symbolic walk and movie outing as part of activities mapped out to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Girl Child.
One hundred girls selected from five secondary schools across Lagos were received at the corporate head office of Globacom, Mike Adenuga Towers, Victoria Island, where they received encouraging words from senior female executives of Globacom.
The girls were drawn from Queens College, Sabo Yaba; Vivian Fowler Memorial College, Oregun, Ikeja; Herbert Macaulay Girls Senior High School, Yaba; Kuramo Senior College, Victoria Island; and Victoria Island Secondary School.
The session was held to encourage the girls to aim for the top in whatever field of endeavour that they opt for academically and to strive for excellence and success in any sphere of work or business within their environment.
The students were received by Globacom’s Director, Strategy and Board Affairs, Mrs Mojisola Ashieru Sweet, who admonished the girls to be proud of who they are and be confident that success will come when they strive for it.
Globacom’s Head of Human Resources, Mrs Jumoke Aduwo, equally echoed this further by advising the girls to focus on developing a strong character.
The girls later took a symbolic walk from the head office to Globacom’s Customer Care and Information Systems departments, where they were imparted with knowledge on how some of the telecommunications operations work.
Afterwards, they all moved over to Silverbird Cinema, where they watched a Nollywood movie, “The Serpent’s Gift”, which features Linda Ejiofor and radio presenter and actor, Chico Aligwejwe.
In Abuja, girls from Al-Noor Academy, Wuse, and Redeemers Private School were hosted at the Glo office and at Silverbird Cinema, Jabi Lake Mall.
In Kaduna, Owerri, Port Harcourt and Benin City, the story was similar as girls from selected schools were received in Glo offices and later taken to the movies where they all watched the movie, “The Serpent’s Gift”.
After the movie sessions, the girls were made to discuss the lessons learnt from the movie they watched. This was to help them develop public speaking skills and build confidence in themselves.
Imisi, one of the 29 housemates that signed up for this season’s Big Brother Naija show titled Season 10: 10/10, has been announced the winner.
The housemate triumphed over eight other finalists to claim the first position, winning N150 million worth of prizes.
