Although not legally married, the couple are said to have two children together. Their five-year relationship is said to have been fraught with domestic violence.
When PUNCH Metro visited the victim in a hospital, her legs and hands were bandaged while she was also placed on drip. She said, “I met Adewunmi in 2009; he had just returned from Pakistan where he was said to have served a prison term. He told me he was a changed man and a pastor; I believed him.
“Soon after, we had a marriage introduction and our two families met and subsequently, we started living together. “However, months into the relationship, he started beating me. Sometimes, he would use a belt or any object he found. After the beating, I would report to his parents and they would come begging me to forgive him.”
The victim alleged that even during pregnancy, Adewunmi did not stop the beating. Ujiatolor said she was driven out of their home six months after she had put to bed. A member of Adewunmi’s church allegedly took her place as the pastor’s new lover. She said a year later, in 2012, the pastor came back to her for reconciliation and promised to wed her legally. However, this was not to be as the physical violence allegedly continued. Ujiatolor claimed to have sustained a fracture in the process and was rushed to Regina Mundi Hospital, Mushin in Lagos.
The victim said their relationship got worse when the pastor told her that she must change her last name but she refused because they had not done a proper wedding. She was forced to move out of the home after the birth of the second child in May 2013. Things allegedly took a turn for the worse on September 22, when Adewunmi forcefully abducted one of their children in her absence. She said, “On that day, I was at a seminar in Ilupeju when he called me on the telephone, calling me a prostitute. He told me he had taken our older daughter and that I would never see her again. So, I went to his church and attempted to take her away. He hit me from behind and pushed me into a glass door. After he saw the extent of my injuries, he fled.”
The doctor, Gani Yahaya, said the victim sustained lacerations on her calf muscle and had splinters of glass in her wounds. PUNCH Metro learnt that the incident was reported at the Alakara Police Division and later transferred to the Area D Command. A non-governmental organisation, Project Alert on Violence Against Women, which took over Ujiatolor’s case, called on the police to take the case seriously.
The Director, Dr. Josephine Effa-Chukwuma, said, “We are appalled at the situation and no one should condone any form of domestic abuse. The police should also take the matter seriously rather than regarding it as a family affair.”
When contacted on the phone, Adewunmi said, “I cannot tell you if it is true or a lie. I have no comment and I don’t want to get involved in press matter.” The Deputy Police Public Relations Officer, Damasus Ozoani, confirmed that the matter had been reported to the police and investigations were ongoing.
Source: The Punch
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