The Network on Police Reforms in Nigeria (NOPRIN), has urged the Citizen’s Mediation Centre, Lagos State Ministry of Justice, to as a matter of urgency, do everything humanly possible to save the life of a housewife, whose husband appeared determined to kill her.
The National Coordinator for NOPRIN, Okechuku Nwanguma, said that if the government didn’t react on time, he was sure that the husband, a banker, would soon beat his wife, Mrs. Otuonye, to death. Mr. Otuyonye was alleged to have frequently locked his wife in a room at odd hours and assaulted her. Nwanguma said that on one occasion, the husband tied an electric cable around her neck and attempted to strangle her until neighbours, attracted by her sister’s screams, came and rescued her.
According to NOPRIN, Mr. Otuyonye seemed bent on murdering his now estranged wife. “We’re worried about his continued threats to her life even after he had thrown her out of their matrimonial home,” said Nwanguma.
Despite having been forced out of their matrimonial home about three months ago, Mrs. Otuyonye’s life had remained in danger with her husband continuing threaten to ‘destroy’ her and run away with their seven-year-old twin baby boys to London, claiming that he is a British citizen. The woman’s husband had also denied her access to their twin baby boys.
Nwanguma noted: “We’re concerned by two main issues namely, the victim’s safety-considering her husband’s constant threats, in particular, his recent threat that he will come to her shop; close to his residence. Who knows what he plans to do this time! We have petitioned the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Aguda Division on this. “The second issue is that ever since the perpetrator pushed the victim out from their matrimo-nial home, and still went and forced her out of his father’s house, he has not allowed her access to their children.
This is not in the best interest of the children who are not happy and well cared for where they are and desire to see their mother.” According to the coordinator, Mrs. Otuyonye started to experience violence, constant battery and attempts by her estranged husband to strangle her within the first year of their marriage in 2008 and this has not abated despite her living apart from her abusive husband. The first issue that caused quarrel was when she tried to advise her husband to quit smoking Indian hemp and to stop smoking inside the home, alleged Nwanguma.
“He was keeping a company of young men of suspicious characters and each time she expressed concern, her husband will batter and seriously injure her. She was hospitalised a number of times as a result of injuries from battery and assault by her husband,” stated Nwanguma. Mr. Otuonye’s father’s interventions and efforts to make him behave responsibly towards his wife had often attracted insults from him to his father.
He accused his father of ‘always supporting’ his wife. Nwanguma further explained: “Due to Mr. Otuonye’s neglect and failure to take care of his wife and their children, his wife decided to help herself by taking a loan to rent a shop where she sells clothes from which proceeds she uses to take care of utility bills. However, on August 20, 2015, her husband went to her shop, chased her and her customers away and accused her of adultery.
“The next day, August 21, 2015, when the man threw his wife out of his house, his father took her (his daughterin- law) to his own house. The man still went to his father’s house and forced her out. Consequently, she is currently putting up with her younger brother while he handed their seven-year-old twin baby boys to one of his relatives.”
On October 9, 2015, the man allegedly sent the following text message to his wife’s phone numbers. The text reads: ‘I will advise you to relocate your shop so that I don’t see you in my area and thoroughly embarrass you. I may be tempted to even come around that place especially if I don’t get my monies… You know it’s just beside my house.
Just an advice.’ On one occasion after he battered his wife and threw her out, the two families brokered reconciliation during which Mr. Otuoye promised not to ‘raise my hands in form of beating or battering her ever again’. He also resolved that: ‘I will not use indecent phrases like ‘park your things and go’, again; ‘I will show more love and care to my wife and kids’; ‘I will call my wife more often’, and ‘I promise not to lose my temper at the slightest provocation…’
Despite his documented ‘agreement to love and care for his wife, Mr. Otuoye allegedly grew more violent, and has continued to threaten his wife’s life and still making life miserable for her. Nwanguma said: “This matter calls for urgent attention because Mr. Otuonye is a habitual wife beater.
He had on several occasions threatened to kill and has made actual attempts to murder his wife. Mrs. Otuonye is entitled, as of right, access to her children. This is also in the best interest of the children who deserve and desire motherly care.”
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