Kalu Ikeagwu, a veteran Nollywood actor, has sued his wife for allegedly abandoning their marital home and depriving him of sex after the birth of their child.
The hearing on Kalu Ikeagwu’s petition to end his six-year marriage to his estranged wife, Ijeoma, began yesterday, May 30th, 2022.
While being questioned by the respondent’s counsel, Mrs S.I. Amedu, Ikeagwu revealed to the court that his wife had moved out of their marital home and sent him a message indicating she was on her way to her father’s house in Enugu.
Kalu Ikeagwu also claimed custody of his children, denying allegations that he had ejected them from his home and failed to care for them.
He went on to say that his wife had denied him sex and had poured water on him while he slept.
When asked why he wanted custody of his stepdaughter, for whom he had originally sought revocation of guardianship, the actor claimed that he had received evidence that his divorced husband wanted to relocate the children.
The actor further alleged that he had stopped sending money for the children’s upkeep because his estranged wife refused to accept him as the father of his stepdaughter, claiming that he had tried to sleep with the stepdaughter.
Read His Full Statement Below…
“I got back home from a trip on August 4, 2021, to find out that my wife had left our matrimonial home with the children to an undisclosed location.” I tried to contact her when I got to the house and found it empty. I sent her an email on that same day, and she replied that she had gone to her father’s house in Enugu.
She told me she was at her father’s place in Enugu and four days later, I saw her at the airport in Lagos, heading to God knows where. In the mail she sent, she said she was in Enugu.”
“After the birth of our son, she has refused to have sex with me.” I was not aware she lost the pregnancy due to an infection as I did not give her any infection. To date, I have not seen any report attached to a document that says a mother lost a baby through STD. Though I did not ask her why she lost the baby. ”
“The last time I sent money to them was in November 2021. I stopped sending money because my wife denied me being a father to my step-daughter and she also accused me of wanting to sleep with her.
“I want custody of the two children.” The reason I sought revocation was that my wife had turned my stepdaughter against me, and at that point, I got a hint that she wanted to fly the children abroad. I had never been married to any woman before I got married to my wife. I married her after she had her daughter.
I earlier said the issue of revocation was because I felt she wanted to use me. My Lord, look at the precedence of how I have treated the girl from the very beginning.
I am an actor by profession and I travel to locations within and outside Nigeria where I can spend five days to one month.
At the moment, it may be difficult, but I am thinking about the future when I remarry and get a stable wife.”
The court ruling
The sitting judge, Justice Christopher Balogun, had originally ordered the children to play with their father in court and the respondent to present receipts for the children’s tuition fees.
The Supreme Court held that children of that age require the care and attention of their biological mother, not the wealth of their father.
The only reason the kid should not be in the mother’s custody is if the mother is mentally ill or if there is a question of infidelity.
“According to the Child’s Right Act, you cannot deny the children the best education even if you’re quarrelling with your wife.” If I should, as a judgment, grant you a divorce, and if your wife is in Enugu and you stay in Lagos, why should I give the custody of a 10-year-old girl to you while her mother is alive?
Assuming the girl starts her monthly period, you as a father do not know what to do. You will be scared of the blood. A female girl is delicate. Your own case is worse because an accusation has been levelled against you.”\
The case was adjourned by the sitting judge to 23rd June.
