The young mother of three, Faith Ifeoma Ojiaku, was brutally beaten and stabbed by her 37-year-old husband, Victor Ojiaku, after he claimed that she was having a secret affair with his apprentice. Ifeoma had also been locked up for two days after the brutalisation before she could get any access to medical care.
Ojiaku, who sells automobile parts and resides at No. 22, Arike John Close, White Sand, Isheri-Osun in Lagos, was at the weekend given a reprieve at the Ejigbo Magistrates’ Court, when he was granted bail in the sum of N250,000.
The suspected assailant is facing a six-count charge bordering on grievous harm, threat to life and assault, in a suit filed by the police. Magistrate Akeem Fashola, who gave the ruling, said the accused must produce two sureties in like sum.
Sharing her heartbreaking story on her Facebook page, she wrote: “This is unacceptable. This is my Ifeoma Okeke Ojiakor story. Saddest Christmas ever!!! Lying down in pains on my hospital bed, I am writing this with tears flowing from my eyes. I could remember on the 24th night I made a post on Facebook sending out special greetings to everyone with the hope of having a merry Christmas with family, friends, and loved ones.
“My husband was always fond of hitting me at any slightest provocation and this issue has been resolved at so many police stations. Whenever I report the beating escapades, they would settle us at the police station and he would be asked to sign undertaking never to hit me anymore.
“He has even hit me at his village in the presence of his mother and father after accusing me of having an affair with his brother. His parents settled it after which he promised never to hit me again. We reconciled mostly because of the kids.
“After we returned back to Lagos, he hit me again while I was pregnant for our third child that I began to bleed. I was rushed to the hospital by neighbours before my mother was called to the hospital. The case was reported at the Ministry of Women Affairs at Alausa, Ikeja, where he was invited and there promised never to repeat such again.
“Now the height of this happened on December 25, he came back home around 6:30pm and started accusing me of sleeping with his boy (a 16-year-old apprentice).
“He didn’t even wait for me to say a word, he just pounced on me and started beating me up with sticks, machete, bottle among others. He said he was going to kill me and nothing would happen. He also stabbed the said boy with a machete. I don’t even know the boy’s whereabouts now. After beating me up for a sin I didn’t commit, he locked me up and held me hostage, seizing my phone for two days.
“Nobody knew what was happening to me, I collapsed honestly I thought I would never survive this. I just kept pleading with him each passing day to please take me to the hospital before I died. He refused. He told me that he wanted to render me useless, I just kept crying until I told him to take me to a pastor. That was when he pushed me into his car and drove me to a place, it was there that I pleaded with the prophetess to help me.
“The prophetess on seeing my condition then advised him to take me to the hospital for immediate treatment. That was how I was taken to the hospital. On getting there, I pleaded with the doctor to use her phone to call my sister, who in turned informed my mother and they started rushing to the hospital.
“At the hospital, immediately he sensed that I might have reached my family, he started dragging me, removed the drip from my hand, I was crying out for help and immediately, my mother entered the hospital he ran away.
“At the moment, I am in my mother’s place with my three kids, two boys and a three-month-old baby girl. The matter was charged to court and he was granted bail while I am left to wallow in pains for no offense I committed, all because I married a heartless man and was enduring all these because of my kids and the society, who kept telling me to forgive that he is my husband and he would change. Look at my life now! How I wish I left this marriage since! Happy New Year everyone,” she wrote.
The Lagos State Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team (DSVRT) has, however, taken up the case on behalf of the victim, Faith. The coordinator of DSVRT, Titilola Vivour-Adeniyi, narrated how they got involved with the victim, said: “It was her sister that informed DSVRT, which advised her to report the case at the police station on behalf of her stabbed sister.
“We have had an official meeting with the DPO, who has assured us that the suspect would not evade justice.”
No date has yet been fixed for trial.
Attempts to reach the suspect were abortive as he had diserted his home since the police intervention.
Gaurdian
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