My Wife Beats Me, Man Tells Court

A civil servant and father of three, Vincent Obodo, 43 has pleaded with an Otto-Ijanikin Customary Court, Ojo Local Government, Lagos, southwest Nigeria to save him from his second wife who, he confessed, was fond of beating him.

Testifying in the petition he filed against his wife, Angela, the divorce-seeking man accused Angela of beating him with broom and pestle whenever they fought.

Obodo told the court that he married Angela out of pity, adding that his decision to marry her as a second wife was a major mistake.

He said since he married her, he has not known peace. He also accused her of patronising soothsayers and native doctors and often acted on the good or bad information they gave her.

“I married Angela out of pity because we were childhood friends back in the village. I was already married with children when I met her again and the childhood love we once shared was ignited and an illicit romance kicked off.

“When our affairs became risky and my wife started suspecting our movements, I had to formalise our union by visiting her parents. I paid her bride price while I also performed all other marital rites,” he said.

Speaking further, the Kokori-Delta State born father of three, said: “To avoid clash, I decided to let my wives stay in different apartments. But whenever I am with Angela, she would be so obsessed and ready to go to any length to see that I don’t communicate with my first wife.

“Whenever she hears a rumour about me and other women, she will charge at me like an angry bull and beat me silly. In most instances, she uses broom, her slippers and even pestle to hit me so hard. The last incident was when she accused me of sleeping with her salesgirl, Anna.

“She almost killed me and threatened to hire killers to silence Anna. The last time we had a quarrel, she told me shamelessly to my face that if not that she loves me dearly, she would have taken care of me the way she treated her ex-boyfriend who jilted her.

“She threatened to organise boys to kidnap and beat me up. After all she had done to me and other things I heard about her, I don’t want to die in her arms,” he pleaded with the court.

In her response, Angela who had listened with amusement all that her husband told the court, revealed how Vincent lured her to bed, used her as a sex tool and now wants to throw her out after he had forcefully made her abort her pregnancy on four different occasions.

“We were childhood lovers. We met in the church where my father was the head pastor. But in the course of seeking greener pastures, we lost contact but our paths crossed again in 2008. Although, I have once been married and had two kids for my ex-husband but when I met Vincent again, the feeling of love and affection we first shared was ignited.

“Barley one week after our encounter, he called and asked me to be his mistress. I asked about his first wife, he convinced me that I have always been his first love and only desire.

“So we started having an affair. Barely three months later, I became pregnant and told him about it. He frowned and told me to abort it, but I bluntly refused.

“He came to my house with tablets and asked me to swallow, I refused and stood my grounds on keeping the pregnancy. He later apologised and gave me his words of support and encouragement.

We made wonderful love afterwards. Shortly after our love making, I felt a sharp pain in my womb. Subsequently, I started bleeding. It was then it dawned on me that he must have rubbed something harmful on his manhood before penetration,” she narrated.

According to the 38-year old woman, her husband continued having sex with her and she was aborting her pregnancies until she couldn’t take it anymore and demanded to be married as a wife.

“After we solemnized our union, I discovered that Vincent is insatiable when it comes to sex. He sleeps with anybody called woman; small, big, married, single and what have you.

“He had an affair with my salesgirl, a fish seller close to my shop, my neighbour at home. Worse still, all these are not allegations because I have evidence to prove my point.

“Now, he dragged me to court seeking divorce. I am not ready to let him go because he has really drained my life. Besides, I am pregnant for him again.  He’s doing this because his two wives are pregnant and it’s really affecting his finances,” she told the court.

After listening to both parties, the President of the court, Chief S.K. Hussein adjourned the case for further hearing.

— Jamiu Yisa