My ex-wife deliberately gave our kids to me, says comedian Nedu
It’s a lie, I was coerced into saying it -Uzoamaka Ohiri
According to comedian Chinedu Ani, better known by his stage name Nedu, his ex-wife, Uzoamaka Ohiri, voluntarily turned up their two girls to him on Tuesday at the State Criminal Investigation Department in Panti.
Despite this, she claimed to The PUNCH that she was forced to sign the document under duress.
For his part, Nedu posted a letter his ex-wife wrote to the SCID explaining why they were divorcing and giving their children over to him.
She claimed in the statement that as long as her ex-husband had custody of the children, she will have unrestricted access to them.
“I, Uzoamaka, gave up my children, Kaylah, 6, and Praise, 4, to their father, Mr. Chinedu Emmanuel Ani, on this 28th day of September, 2021,” she said in a statement to the SCID.
“Because our lease in Lagos had expired, I took my children back from Owerri, where they were staying with my mother, Mrs. Uzoamaka Ohiri, and they arrived in Lagos on the 27th of September, 2021.
Because of this agreement, I Uzoamaka will have unhindered access to the children as long as they remain with Mr. Chinedu. If their school is moved, I will be informed until the court decides whether or not to grant any of us custody of our daughters.
To prove his point, the comedian uploaded invoices showing how he flew his ex-wife and the girls from Owerri, where they were staying with their maternal grandmother, to Lagos.
According to Nedu’s verified Instagram feed, which he uses to explain the problem:
“It pains me to have to address what I consider a private problem once again. However, it is imperative that I do so for the benefit of all parties concerned.
We ask that all journalists, bloggers, and news outlets make the following point crystal clear:
“1. Contrary to popular belief, I do provide for my family and will continue to do so as my duty requires.
“2. Neither I nor the police used force to remove my children from the custody of my ex-wife. There was universal agreement on this point. Please feel free to look through her handwritten statement as well as the bag in which she transported their items for your consideration.
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“3. Three children were transferred to Owerri, where they were to dwell for more than a month without my knowledge or permission. That was a decision made by my ex-wife without consulting me… Following a unanimous decision by all parties that it was preferable for them to be returned to Lagos, I paid for the ticket for her to go and pick them up and bring them back to Lagos. This was especially important because they attend school in Lagos.
“4. I am someone who believes in doing things the right way, and so far in this situation, I have followed the rules of the road. A lawsuit was filed against my ex-wife, accusing her of cyberbullying and other offenses. She was given the opportunity to respond, and the process is still proceeding, along with the custody dispute.
“I am fed up with the sensationalistic manner in which this information is being disseminated. I do not give interviews or make statements about the subject to the press. I would urge my ex-wife and her cousins/sister to take the same course of action.
When it comes to the ramifications of this catastrophe, we’re not talking about inanimate objects; we’re talking about real, breathing beings.”
Because I’m not the first or the last man to have a terrible marriage, I’d like to continue putting my energy into those things.
Immediately after, the ex-wife told The PUNCH that she was compelled to hand over her children by the Police and Nedu and refused to do so on her own volition.
Uzoamaka claimed that the Police treated her like a criminal suspect while she was being questioned at the SCID, and her counsel was not allowed to accompany her in the room.
The comedian’s ex-wife claimed that while she was always required to leave her phone at the gate, Nedu was permitted to bring in phones and take pictures inside the SCID, which she claimed was evidence that the Police were partial.
It was stated that the police eventually confiscated her phone in an attempt to prevent her from posting anything about her trauma on social media.
The 37-year-old mother of three was perplexed as to why the Police Department would become involved in a purely civil issue, and why the children were handed over to Nedu in a Police facility in the first place.
“That is just false,” she stated. Those people have dealt with me on a number of occasions. My life has been threatened, and I have been compelled to do things that I did not want to do.
“It was never intended for my children to return to Lagos. Those individuals have made several threats against me.
“Yes, we’ve been having problems with our rent. Yes, we’ve been pleading with him to lend his support and assistance, but he has so far refused. As a result, these individuals have accomplished a great deal.
“There’s nothing quite like gladly handing over my children to him. There was absolutely nothing like that in existence.
“Nedu is very obsessed with getting rid of me. I had a lawyer, but every time I brought him with me to the Police Station, they would turn him away; nevertheless, Nedu would be allowed to enter with at least five persons, including one NGO worker, Landa, his prophet, and his co-workers, before being turned away. Meanwhile, they deny me the right to see my lawyer. “They all storm the building.”
The relationship between Uzoamaka and Nedu has been a tangled mess for the past month.
A few months prior, she had publicly called out her ex-husband, accusing him of domestic violence and failing to provide for their children.
A DNA test result of their first kid and only son, which revealed that he was not the child’s biological father, was also posted by Nedu in response to the allegations.