Court orders fresh service of court processes on Fani-Kayode

A Federal High Court sitting in Apo, Abuja, has ordered that fresh court processes should be served on a former Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode, in respect of the suit filed by his ex-wife, Precious Chikwendu.

Chikwendu, a former beauty queen, filed the suit and alleged that Fani-Kayode, her ex-husband, beat her up on several occasions even while she was pregnant.

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She, therefore, demanded full custody of their four sons.

She made the allegations in an affidavit she deposed to in support of an originating motion brought pursuant to Section 69 of the Child’s Rights Act, 2003.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Friday, Justice S.C Oriji made the order after he set aside an earlier service on Fani-Kayode, which his counsel, Mr Adeola Adedipe claimed was invalid because his client’s signature was forged.

Adedipe had prayed the court to decline jurisdiction on the matter and urged it to either strike out the suit or alternatively, set aside the earlier purported service of the processes filed by Chikwendu on his client.

In his submission, the defendant‘s counsel said that his client never received service of court process from the bailiff, adding that the signature of his client on the certificate the bailiff returned was forged.

The lawyer said that the only reason the minister was present in court was out of protest and not because he was duly served.

He added that the issue of the purported service was currently being investigated by the police.

Responding, counsel to Chikwendu, Mrs Enohor Moi-Wuyep, prayed the court to dismiss Fani-Kayode’s application in its entirety.

According to Moi-Wuyep, the respondent was duly served, and there was a text message by the respondent to the applicant acknowledging receipt of the court summons.

“This is the text message he sent; I received your summons, I thought we were making progress and the matter can be resolved amicably in the interest of the children. What a pity, we shall meet in…