A businesswoman, Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu, has told a Federal High Court in Lagos that she was raped by a federal lawmaker, Uju Kingsley Chima, on August 9, 2015.
Mrs Kamalu told Justice Nicholas Oweibo that following an incestuous relationship with Chima, the lawmaker offered to pay her N20 million if she was divorced by her husband, Mr Gabriel Igbibi.
Chima is the Member, Federal House of Representatives for Ohaji/Egbema, Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency of Imo State.
She is seeking protection from Chima, who she alleged caused her to be arrested on 27th day of May, 2019 tortured, humiliated, detained for seven days by the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and arraigned on a fictitious N40million theft charge.
Kamalu made the allegations in a fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/1458/19 which came up on September 11, 2019.
Her counsel, Chijioke Jiakponna, told the judge that Chima had been evading service. He alleged that when the bailiff called Chima on phone to inform him that he wanted to serve him, the lawmaker cut the call.
Justice Oweibo adjourned till yesterday to rule on whether to allow substituted service.
Monday, the court did not sit.
When The Nation phoned Chima on Saturday evening for his reaction to the rape and N20m allegations, he said “I’m inside a court now, can we talk later? I’m inside a court.”
Later that night and Monday, his number rang out.
In her August 22, 2019 Affidavit of Urgency, Kamalu said she filed the suit due to the “intimidation, mounting surveillance and or illegal oral invitation threat of life and annihilation of property.”
She said she had been living “in perpetual fear” of being further detained “indefinitely.”
Kamalu is seeking several reliefs including a declaration that her arrest and detention “by the respondent at the State CID Police Headquarters, Owerri, Imo State (SARS) for seven days was unconstitutional.”
Others include a declaration that her invitation by the police for another investigation while the case has been adjourned sine die at the Chief Magistrate Court, Owerri, violates her rights.
She also wants an order restraining the Respondents, from further arresting, pursuing and intimidating her.
“An order directing the 1st 2nd, 4th to 6th Respondents to release forthwith her Infinix Note 7 and lnfinix Note 8 illegally seized by the Respondents during the arrest and torture in Lagos.
“An order awarding damage in the sum of N50 Million to the Applicant for the unlawful arrest, torture, unlawful detention, insult, disgrace, intimidation and the embarrassing treatment meted out on the Applicant.”
In her August 22, 2019 Affidavit in support of her application, Kamalu averred that she and Chima began dating in 1993 while she was in secondary school.
“We dated for 10 years, after which he proposed marriage and we both agreed to settle down as husband and wife. Unfortunately, our parents kicked against our relationship on the ground that we are biologically related and that we were committing incest and could not get married, so I married another man called Gabriel Igbibi,” she said.
The applicant said she reconnected with the lawmaker when she needed assistance to execute a contract she secured and that after she refused his advances, “he raped me.”
“I lodged the case first at New Owerri Police Station wherein he influenced it and I wrote a Petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Force State Quarters, Abuja. The petition was assigned to Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia, Abia State.
“The 1st Respondent settled the police and they brokered peace between the 1st Respondent and me, wherein he promised to take proper care of me because he cannot withdraw himself from me.
She said following their reconciliation, they resumed their incestuous relationship “fully again”.
Kamalu added: “My husband got wind of the relationship between the 1st respondent and myself,” following which he filed for divorce.
When she informed Chima he allegedly gave her money to hire a lawyer for the case.
“The 1st Respondent promised that if the divorce succeeds, he will be giving me N20 million every six months and also buy me a property in any designated place in Lagos.
“The marriage was dissolved at the Ikeja High Court, Lagos. After the divorce, the 1st Respondent told me that before he will take the relationship serious, I will have to bear a child for him.”
According to her, she took in for him, but had a miscarriage. He then asked her to adopt a baby which would be his and claim that the baby was born in Canada, but that the baby also died.
She further claimed that he made her swear to an oath of loyalty, but she eventually caught him with another woman.
“I became infuriated and he became furious and warned me never to visit him again, that he is no longer interested in the relationship. I reminded him of the oath he forced me to take that no man must have any relationship with me again and the promise to be giving N20m every six months, buy me a property in a choice area, buy a brand new car every six months, which he had never fulfilled.
“I told him that I would tell the whole world how he has ruined my life and deceived me out of my marriage where I had four children.”
She told the court that this was why the lawmaker used the police to arrest her on May 27, 2019 and detained for seven days.