27 year old Chiamaka Okechi hails from Ezeama Mgbagbuowa in Ezeagu Local
Government Area, about 45 kilometers from Enugu State. She got married
to her husband, Mr. Obinwanne Chiafo when she was 14-years old. She has
eight children. On Saturday, August 21, Chiamaka sustained an injury on
her head when her husband mercilessly broke her head with an iron rod.
This scenario got to the point where Chiamaka almost lost her life due
to the violence unleashed on her. Narrating her story, Chiamaka lamented
that she has been suffering this torture since she got married to her
husband.
Her 13-year-old marriage has been tales of woes as she
has endured several forms of violence and abuses from her spouse. The
victim currently lives in a mud house without any significant source of
livelihood apart from her little subsistence farming within her
immediate environment.
She had endured years of torture, physical
and emotional abuses from the husband, Mr. Obinwanne Chiafo, who hails
from the same village as her. Chiamaka revealed that she has been
inflicted with torture from her estranged husband when she visited the
Women Aid Collective, WACOL, August 24, to report the incident.
She
narrated how the father of her children severely battered her,
forcefully ejecting her from their matrimonial home five years ago,
including taking custody of her six children. She has not been allowed
access to these children.
She further noted that the perpetrator
has married two different women after he forcefully evicted her, but she
never objected. Notwithstanding, he still came around her parents’
house to regularly assault her.
The victim further revealed that
her estranged husband returned in 2019 to ask for forgiveness, which she
accepted, but unfortunately, he got her pregnant for the 8th child and
he abandoned her again. Narrating her ordeal, Chiamaka, lamented, “I
entered into an early forced marriage at the age of 13 and started
giving birth early with the result that I dropped out of school and
eventually could not complete my education. “On that fateful day,
Obinwanne came to our house and unleashed terror on me.
He
violently kicked down the door, dragged me on the floor and attacked me.
“He pounced on me kicking, and started punching me very hard all over
my body, including several heavy blows that landed on my chest. I
screamed as a result of the excruciating pain, but he kept on and
brought an iron rod which he used to hit my head causing me severe head
injury.
It was at that point that he ran away. “I bled profusely
as a result of the injury sustained yet Obinwanne recklessly abandoned
me in that pitiable condition and left.
He also threatened to
return and kill me. “I went to Police station at Aguobu Owa, Ezeagu LGA,
the next town to report the incident and unfortunately police asked me
to bring money, but I couldn’t afford it and that was how I came to
WACOL from my rural area to Enugu city”, she narrated.
She told
WACOL that after the incident, she has been suffering from severe pains
on her head and chest and has been passing sleepless nights.
Her
greatest challenge now is that she is unable to go back home for the
past 3 days, out of fear that the perpetrator could return and carry out
his threat to kill her.
In her plea, she further stated that “I
want WACOL and law enforcement agencies to assist me to arrest this man,
because I don’t want to die, and I have nobody to run to. Please help
me” she pleaded.
The founder and Executive Director, WACOL,
Prof. Joy Ngozi Ezeilo OON, assured her of WACOL’s unflinching support
to ensure that she gets justice and treatment for her injury. She was
given some amount of money as assistance to take care of her immediate
needs.
According to Ezeilo, “Under the arrangement, she will also
receive free medical treatment, free legal aid, counseling and psycho
-social support.
WACOL legal clinic will also follow up with
relevant law enforcement agencies to ensure that the perpetrator is
arraigned and properly charged for grievously bodily injury, including
murder threats”. WW made efforts to reach Chiamaka’s husband for fair
hearing on the issue but it was to no avail as he is at large.
According to WACOL, “We have tried in our capacity to bring him to our
office so as to hear his side of the story but he is nowhere to be
found. He has been avoiding the police, even the traditional rulers in
the community have done their best to bring him for questioning but
efforts was to no avail”, she said.
2 Comments
This is to inform the general public that individuals can now order Dan-gote3xCement directly from the factory at a promo price of 1,300 per bag & RICE for 10,000 Naira per bag.This is for customers buying above a hundred bags and trailer loads of six & nine hundred bags only.Also get your foreign used EXCAVATOR,TIPPER TRUCK,DREDGER AND CONCRETE MIXER at the best prices and with a high performance quality.Kindly contact the marketing manager Alhaji Jubril Abubakar on O 7 0 1 66 O 7 0 6 O for your booking and delivery takes two days nationwide.PLEASE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THIS WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY.
ReplyDeleteThis is to inform the general public that individuals can order Dan-gote3xCement directly from the factory at a promo price of 1300 Naira per bag and RICE for 10,000 naira per bag. Transportation and offloading is 300 Naira,minimum for purchase is from 100 bags and above. kindly contact Dangote Group Marketing Manager Alhaji Shehu Abubakar ON O 8 1 3 3 5 4 9 O 5 5 for booking and delivery. Note-Delivery takes two days and it’s nationwide.When Strength matters,Choose 3X.Also order your foreign used heavy equipment(DREDGER,EXCAVATOR,HEAVY DUTY TRUCK AND CONCRETE MIXER ) at the best prices and with a high performance quality.PLEASE TELL OTHERS ABOUT THIS WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY.
ReplyDelete