'American Idol' Alum Chikezie Eze Says Estranged Wife Has Abducted Their Children

Former American Idol contestant Chikezie Eze is asking his followers for help, claiming that his ex-wife abducted their children and disappeared.

Eze's kids have been missing for over a year now, but he just recently got new support from the court to help find them. In an interview with TMZ, he explained that his ex, Linda Iruke, has been completely unresponsive to him since early in 2018. She has no contact with their friends or family, and now even her parents are helping him search for her.

New legal documents show that the court believes Eze's children may have been "taken, detained, and concealed" by Iruke. The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has been authorized to investigate Iruke in the hopes of locating Eze's children.

"We all want the same thing," Eze said in the interview. "We all want the kids to be safe. We all want the kids to be home."

In the end of the interview, Eze gave an emotional message directly to his son in honor of his birthday. He spoke assuming his little one could hear him, promising that he thought of him every day and he wanted him back in his life.

"Happy birthday, big guy," he said. "Daddy loves you. Grandpa and Grandma love you, too. Everybody is thinking about you ever single day, and we're going to see you soon, okay? We're going to see you soon."

Eze concluded the interview by asking anyone who may have seen his family to call the L.A. District Attorney's child abduction unit. He gave their phone number on the air: 213-257-2600.

Eze and Iruke got married in 2011. They have two children together. They first separated in June of 2017, and Eze filed for divorce in May of last year. In March of 2018, Iruke was granted a restraining order against Eze, claiming that he had threatened her. She also claimed that she suffered domestic abuse at his hands in the past, making his other threats more credible.

Iruke even claimed that she had temporarily moved out of the family home in the summer of 2017, seeking refuge in a domestic violence safe house "because of all the abuse." She cited one particular threat, claiming that Eze had said: "Don't make me turn this car around and beat your ass."

Eze did not comment on Iruke's allegations at the time. He is still best-known for his run on American Idol in Season 7, when he finished in 10th place. Eze gave a memorable performance of "I Believe to My Soul" by Ray Charles.