The sad incident occurred on Sunday, January 26, 2025.
According to the story, the Anambra-state-born late doctor had a prolonged divorce battle with his estranged wife, including battle for the custody of their children.
A US court however ruled in favour of his ex-wife and ordered him to pay a monthly child support of $15,000.
Confirming the incident in a post shared on X.com, a Nigerian-American, Clayton Udo, said the court’s verdict took a severe financial toll on him, leading to his tragic death.
He wrote, “The abuse of African men in the USA must come to an end. In a deeply troubling case, Dr. Ikenna Erinne, an American-trained cardiologist, allegedly took his own life after an American court ordered him to pay his ex-wife $15,000 monthly, following a prolonged and contentious divorce case. This tragic incident highlights the systemic issues within the legal system that disproportionately affect African men.”
Udo, who claimed to be an expert in psychological and mental abuse, revealed that the deceased had spent thousands of dollars in legal fees before the court’s verdict turned out in favour of his ex-wife.
Confirming the incident in a post shared on X.com, a Nigerian-American, Clayton Udo, said the court’s verdict took a severe financial toll on him, leading to his tragic death.
He wrote, “The abuse of African men in the USA must come to an end. In a deeply troubling case, Dr. Ikenna Erinne, an American-trained cardiologist, allegedly took his own life after an American court ordered him to pay his ex-wife $15,000 monthly, following a prolonged and contentious divorce case. This tragic incident highlights the systemic issues within the legal system that disproportionately affect African men.”
Udo, who claimed to be an expert in psychological and mental abuse, revealed that the deceased had spent thousands of dollars in legal fees before the court’s verdict turned out in favour of his ex-wife.
from punch
Nigerian Navy Secondary School wrote on Instagram
''Dr. Ikenna Erinne class of 2004, a devoted father, son, brother, and esteemed Cardiologist, passed away suddenly on 26 January 2025. Born on 4 March 1988, he was known for his unwavering compassion, intellect, and dedication to saving lives. His impact as a medical professional was profound, touching countless patients, colleagues, and his community. Beyond his career, he was a loving father to Ugonna and Munachi, a cherished son to Engr. Chris and Mrs. Chinwe Erinne, and a beloved brother to Chuks, Onyi, Kenny, and Gechi. His warmth, generosity, and sense of humor will be deeply missed by all who knew him.
A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Monday, 3 February 2025, at Gary L. Kaufman Funeral Home at Meadowridge Memorial Park, Elkridge, Maryland, from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM, followed by interment at Meadowridge Memorial Park. Friends and family will gather to honor his remarkable life and legacy, cherishing the memories he created.
May his gentle sound rest in peace. AMEN''
Once you are making good money, stay away from high maintenance women. Beyond the beauty that fades over time, they bring pain. Cheating is guaranteed. It gets worse if she is a Nigerian woman
ReplyDeleteGod bless you for this comment. Our women need a complete overhaul, they are so poisoned and have a skewed thinking about men, $15k monthly?
DeleteThe judge in that court should be prosecuted.
Francis Van manipulated him to suicide..He earns $120,000+ monthly, paying $15,000 was a komkom minus on his pocket.
DeleteMind families you walk into!
Anon 13:05,
DeleteYou captured it rightly..
I'll keep saying this here over and over again that a woman is only loyal to her interests, not to the genuineness of a man's love or sacrifices.
If you can as a man when you travel abroad, leave your woman in Nigeria, take care of her from there, or bring her over and face the consequences. Pick your poison.
The law isn't favorable to African men overseas.
© TEEJAY
He can appeal if he thought there was a mistake.
DeleteIt’s obvious he wasn’t thinking straight.
Anon 13.23, please stop opening your mouth to say what you don’t know. How could he be earning 120k a month? Na football player? At 36? Why do you people not like to reason ligicalky? 🤔
DeleteTeejay, if you leave her in Naija, just know that you become the provider for her and her boyfriends that will be gbenshing her porously on your bed while you are hustling abroad.
DeleteExactly 14:52. The child support wasn't the issue maybe he had other psychological/mental issues.
DeleteMay his soul rest in peace, Amen.
Anon 15:08,
DeleteThat's the reason I wrote ''Pick your poison.''
You have to choose one among the two unfavorable 'poisons'
© TEEJAY
Let me break this down for you guys. Child support in the USA, is based on income. Regular child support for 3 children is about 30% of income. If the man was still married & had the kids in their house. It is expected that he would spend 30% of his income on his children. Now the average annual income of a cardiologist is $525,000. His initial child support was $6k a month. What a sweetheart deal!!!, a little more than 10% of his monthly income. Which is the norm for individuals that make a lot of money. This man chose to ignore court orders & did not pay child support in 2023 & 2024. So his medical license was suspended. That is the law in USA. Disobey court orders/child support orders. You risk having your drivers license, passport suspended & if you work in a licensed profession (MD, RN, Pharm., Law, even barber), your professional license will be suspended, till you pay your debts). You are actually given a lot of notice & time to pay up, before the suspension takes effect. This man refused to pay, constantly disobeying court orders. The $15k a month was a “catch up” child support orders. The regular $6k a month plus, the debts from 2023 & 2024. When he pays off the debts, the child support goes back to $6k a month. Halle Berry pays $$$$ to her 2 baby daddies & she has never taken a gun to hold the men & her children hostage, like this man did. This man is clearly a sociopath as seen by his disregard for court orders. & pointing a gun on his innocent children, then killing himself in front of the innocent children. NBA player Jimmy Butler is paying $55k a month for 3 children because he makes almost $49 million a year, not including money from other endorsements. And his ex wants to increase it to $65k a month. Yet Jimmy Butler is not holding anyone hostage with a gun, rather got a lawyer to appeal & show that what he is current paying is more than enough to maintain his children’s lifestyle. Let’s stop excusing men that want to avoid being financially responsible for their children, just because they are no longer in a relationship with the mother.
DeleteNa wao. May his soul rest in peace.
ReplyDeleteThis spousal law that rips men off their earnings all in the name of divorce must stop. Some women do it on purpose just to enrich themselves and frustrated the men.
ReplyDeleteThis is also affecting the institution of marriage, no more patience, tolerance and willingness to fight for your home is gone.
I'm saddened by this news. The young man will just be working for the woman. This is wrong on all sides. Now that he's gone, who will pay her?
Women, we can do better.
...willingness to fight for your home..
DeleteIs it a woman that must fight for the home?
Men sleep around and expect the women to bear it and fight for her home.
Women, you must stop tolerating nonsense from men pls. If they cheat, divorce their asses and claim child support
So sad,rest in peace sir. 🙏🏿😔😔😔
ReplyDeleteI went to the father's page to say hi but baba Don lock am 🤣🤣🤣.very useless man that trended negatively awhile ago. How can he be a good father .like father like daughter. I wouldn't have minded settling for 5k regardless of his earning na person e be too. Then equal custody.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest brother, a medical doctor too in the States also experienced the same thing. He brought his sweetheart from Nigeria to be with him, which was the right thing. However, when she stabilised, she unleashed the dragon.
ReplyDeleteShe, in collaboration with her family exploited him and almost ruined his practice and his life. He kept it from us because of his reserved nature, until his colleagues had to forcefully reach out to us.
We had to return him to Nigeria. My siblings contributed funds to establish another business for him and it's thriving now. He's married again and his wife just delivered a set of twins.
It's a risk. A very big risk
Awwww, congratulations to the family.
DeleteSo sad he had to end it. Wished he left.
I hope your brother will treat his new wife better?
DeleteWow congratulations to him.
DeleteNot everyone have second chance.
Shebi my ex spouse took the children and moved away,instead of killing myself I decided to make meaning of my life.
ReplyDeleteTo be happy and in love with life
Is it easy ….For where?
Is it doable…..Absolutely!!
I’ve grieved and grieved
I’ve decided that all the tears I will ever cry in this life and the one to come I’ve already cried it
That one don pass
Na me get my life now
Much respect to Baba God
The balance na me get ,to do as I please
If my children come back tomorrow…..fine
If they no come back ,all well and good
I could’ve been dead but you see this chance God give me,I go enjoy am till my last breath
Na only talk people go talk,if I tire for one state I relocate
If I want I japa
If I want I go village
God showed me mercy,I no go use my hand spoil am
Hi daddy freeze
DeletePlease are you Amaka?
DeleteI am close to 50, as a woman! I am not married! Wetin 1988 pikin go find inside marriage! Once you are a high value person; who has crossed your t"s and dotted your i's, stay away from marriage 💑. There are hawks everywhere! I noticed early in life; that because of my privileged background, I attracted not only wrong men, but fake friends! When I was even ready to marry!I noticed that all the 4 men wanted me; because I was based in the silicon Valley! And I had an intuition! To see ; who was really real!
ReplyDeleteSo I decided to go with 1; but to test him; I left the US and move back to Nigeria! That was the end! He ran ; all of them left!I now started testing my friends female in Nigeria! As I speak; I don't have anyone friends or family from my past! The people in my life now; are people who have proved themselves! I now live a minimalist lifestyle! Nobody knows my worth anymore! Living in too much luxury attracts the wrong crowd to you!!!
May the good Lord console the family of this young man!!!
Anon 14.06 you don talk am finish. Nothing g more to add ma.
DeleteHave to screenshot this message cos this is just plain truth. It's OK to give and take but the friends who run away when they stop getting, it's scary
DeleteSo they "loved" you because you were an abroadian.
DeleteYou moved back to Nigeria and pretended to be broke, they all ran - males and females. Nawah!
Na wa o
DeleteSuch a sad story.
ReplyDeleteSo Sad
ReplyDeleteRest well Ikenna
Hello iya Boys
I heard they were not legally married. When the pressure was high on him, he would have come back home if possible.
ReplyDeleteRest in peace, so sad.. I wouldn’t want to believe that it was just because of the 15k child support that he will do what he did… it’s just money compared to your life, besides the court would have seen your income before stating that amount. Secondly you can always file for a review later. And lastly I don’t know how old the kids are but it’s only till they are 18years, it may seem too long but it isn’t… please I want to encourage everyone to always find the brighter side of life and things. When I’m really sad I ask myself “ what’s the worst that can happen “……then adjust my mind to it.
ReplyDeleteDo you know how it feels to work hard and pass a huge chunk of your salary to a woman as child support? That shit can make a grown man cry.
DeleteThis is the healthy approach to life.
DeleteI also believe that there may be more to it than just the child support. I read somewhere that they took his license, don't know how true it is, but if so, that may be what pushed him to commit suicide.
Delete17:26, he must have done something unlawful for them to take his license. He was not a saint after all.
DeleteThis is so sad 😔
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace
Chai 😢 he was earning 120k and he was mandated to pay 150k dollars. But then again suicide isnt the option.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul find peace.
Let’s learn to leave toxic before your spouse turns you mad
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is such men not only attract high maintenance women, they sometimes go after them because of the impression they want to create. This loss was avoidable. May his soul RIP.
ReplyDeleteMental health doctors are one of the highest earners in the world. So it's possible he is earning that amount. Please let's note that nothing in this world should make you end your Life. It's straight to hell fire.
ReplyDeleteMay his soul rest in peace to a very handsome young man
Ikenna, May God forgive your sins and Rest your Soul! You were a good Child from a wonderful family! I don't know what happened…
ReplyDeleteJee ije gi nke oma Ike🙏
EUM Cali
May your soul continue to rest in peace Amen!
ReplyDeleteThese set of women are the reason the good ones are stuck in Nigeria. Rip to him, I wish he was strong enough to overcome the pain and trauma that drove him into suicide.
ReplyDeleteBefore judging her , hear her own side of the story. Was the man a Saint? An Igbo man for that matter. Very wicked lots.
DeleteAnon 17:55, Igbo men wicked? You need to clean your brain.
DeleteI’m very surprised oo 17:55. He even lost his license
DeleteThis is so sad. May God rest his soul and comfort his loved ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure he had good girls seeking to be with him but he went for beauty and probably sweet punani, now see the result.
ReplyDeleteI hope men learn to go for girls with good character instead of other vain things.
RIP to him.
So, we have decided that because he killed himself, he was the victim?
Delete🤔 May his soul rest in peace. I do not know this young man or his family but I will state some facts among 🇳🇬🇺🇸 communities in the US having lived here over a quarter of a century. Btw, Anon 13:23 Cardiologists DO NOT make $120,000 PER MONTH, $ salaries are not like Naira. He probably was grossing about $35k/month & the $15k would have been taking pre-tax & handed to the ex. Due to his tax bracket, after federal tax, SS, Medicare, State tax, 401k, Health insurance deductions, his take home pay may sadly not have been more than 18k or less per month.
ReplyDeleteMy friend had a legal bill of $30k after a divorce. We don’t have case-specific information but it must have been significant. He may have had a mortgage, car note, student loan, you will be surprised a lot of rich people’s kids and upper middle class kids have student loans especially when it’s a professional program that tends to cost more.
Add this with the stress of a long-drawn divorce, it’s easy to see why he was overwhelmed, may be why he lost his license. My concern is the root cause of this frequently occurring tragedy. I have known many divorce cases involving 🇳🇬🇺🇸s. Most of the war-like ones are from my people from the SE, I mean the very acrimonious ones where it is a fight to finish over $. Hear me out. My best friend from undergrad days in the 80s married her husband after a 3-week visit in the 90s. I recall asking her if she was sure as they barely knew each other. She told me it is the culture. I moved not long after & was told they were divorcing, decades ago. I spent long nights on phone begging her to stay, & go easy on him as there were 4 kids involved at the time. He made less than her as we were both the field where we were fortunate to make $. She told me “I cannot share mortgage with a man that paid my bride price, he married me so he must pay the bills”. Yet the home. & everything was too high for his income. I would be on the phone till 12am pleading with her. We no longer talk but they divorced bitterly with $ asset fights plastered over the internet at the time. I have another friend whose divorce was so bitter she aged several years. Her husband was a jerk but a fight during divorce helped none of them. They fought it out. I know of many not so close friends etc. While there is divorce among all groups and ethnicities, why do the most bitter ones, the most violent ones where money fight is the root cause involve some of my people?
I remember telling my friend, if he paid your bride price doesn’t it suggest you should now help him since he makes less? He wasn’t a lazy man just that the US places premium on certain professions from time to time. Don’t get upset with my write up or take it personal, my Igbo friends who are happily married & I talk about this prevalence in the community. A community that values marriage should start de-emphasizing money. A marriage counselor told us decades ago that “ if your fight as a couple is always about $ it’s not a good marriage”.
Don’t get upset at my write-up, go online and google about 20 cases of tragic endings to bitterly contested divorce among 🇳🇬🇺🇸s & do a statistical analysis of the demographics before being defensive. Every ethnicity has flaws & tendencies among the outlier cases. Divorce is an outlier in the community of Igbos and most 🇳🇬🇺🇸s so it’s not like most marriages are ending in divorce but the ones that do tend to be bitter over $. Some SW married women are sleeping around despite being married! Also the outliers, not the majority. Statistics matters more than emotions & hysteria to solve a problem from the root. May this young man’s soul rest in peace.
Let us fix the problem from the root & start de-emphasizing mercantilism in marriages. It will help protect future marriages that end in divorce from having a tragic ending. Divorce is not a war✌🏾
Thanks for this.
DeleteI recognize your writing style from the other post, you write calmly. You must be a reserved person in rl.
DeleteThis is painful 😢 💔
ReplyDeleteMay you find peace Ikenna
This is sad. He had saving lives to live for and child support is not eternal, children grow up eventually. Even if he took a hit now, he would be back on his feet in some years.
ReplyDeleteA contentious divorce can be a draining experience, and it does not seem like he had a good support system around him. Oftentimes, there is the notion that successful ppl are somehow superhuman, whose money and status can somehow miraculously alleviate the pains and pressures they experience in life. Everyone needs love and support in their weak moments. Successful ppl need kind words, warm hugs, genuine care, a home cooked meal just like everyone else going through low moments.
I wished he had not taken such drastic actions after studying in higher learning for 10 years to get where he is. I pray the children do not blame themselves and can overcome the loss. They will not get his wisdom, life experience knowledge, love, this loss can never be replaced. I can only hope that his soul will find peace and his loved ones healing.