A Nigerian businessman, Francis Van-Lare, has denied claims that his daughter, Suzette Chibuogu, was responsible for the tragic death of her ex-husband, Dr. Ikenna Erinne, a U.S.-based Nigerian cardiologist who reportedly took his own life.
Dr. Erinne, a 36-year-old medical professional from Anambra State, reportedly committed suicide on Sunday, January 26.
Van-Lare stated that Dr. Erinne had gone to his daughter’s house on the day of the incident and held her, their children, and the nanny at gunpoint for three hours.
According to him, the situation escalated when the nanny managed to escape and alerted law enforcement authorities.
He alleged that when police arrived at the scene, Erinne, rather than face “three counts of kidnapping with a deadly weapon,” which carried a potential sentence of “25 years to life on each count,” chose to end his own life.
He wrote on his Facebook page, “While there was a custody battle my daughter is involved in and I only became aware last Monday morning about 3 am Nigerian time that the deceased held her and her children at gun point for three hours after losing a custody battle , the nanny managed to escape and called the police and on arrival of the police he shot himself dead . I guess he decided to kill himself instead of facing three counts of kidnapping with a deadly weapon 25 years to life each.
“While I sympathize with his family for his death , my daughter is not responsible for him taking his own life and I thank God it did not degenarate to where he shoots my daughter , grand children and himself .
May his soul rest in peace . Everyone is loser here and it is traumatizing for all including me. No winners here.”
