"He held my daughter and her children at gunpoint after losing custody" --- Francis Van Lare reveals why US-based Nigerian medical doctor, who was his son-in-law, committed su!cide

A US-based Nigerian medical doctor committed su!cide and conflicting reports have emerged about the reason for his action.

Now, Francis Van-Lare, a Nigerian businessman popular for previously being married to relationship coach, Amara Nwosu, has revealed that the late doctor was his daughter, Suzette Chibuogu's ex-husband and father of her children.

He claimed that Dr Ikenna Erinne, a 36-year-old cardiologist from Anambra State who was practising in the United States, took his own life after losing a custody battle.

Van-Lare alleged that Dr. Erinne had gone to his daughter's house on the fateful day and held her, their children, and the nanny at gunpoint for three hours.

He claimed the nanny finally managed to escape and reported to the police and Erinne decided to shoot himself de@d when the police arrived instead of facing "three counts of kidnapping with a de@dly weapon" which carries a sentence of "25 years to life on each count".

Van-Lare issued the statement after his daughter and her former partner's story made it to the internet, with many mourning Dr. Erinne and remembering him as a calm and brilliant man.

According to online reports, Ikenna Erinne took his l!fe after a court ruling in favor of his ex-wife in a child support case.

The tragic incident was reported to have occurred on Sunday, January 26.

Dr. Erinne had been involved in a divorce battle with his estranged wife (Van-Lare's daughter), particularly over the custody of their children.

He lost the case when a U.S. court allegedly ordered him to pay $15,000 in monthly child support, friends of the deceased claimed online.

Clayton Udo, a Nigerian-American, confirmed the incident in a post shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, attributing the doctor’s financial strain from the court’s ruling as the cause of his de@th.