My ex-wife hired cultists to lynch me for visiting my kids – Eze, Lagos based activist alleges

Dandy Eze is the Chief Executive Officer of a Lagos based non-governmental organization, Parts of Peace Initiative, PPE. He is also a freelance journalist. He was in Enugu, recently, to see his children who have been living with his former wife, five years after their divorce. Luckily, after he was able to locate where they were living at Amorji, Abakpa Nike, a suburb of the Coal City, he, according to him, met only his son.

 

His son reportedly joyously took his daddy to the school where his sister was attending classes. Security men in the school, he said, insisted in contacting the mother of the children before allowing him to see his only daughter.

Minutes later, they informed him that he would not be allowed to see his daughter; he then decided to go back to their residence and wait with his son not knowing that his trip will take a different dimension. No sooner than he left the school compound than some boys, armed with cudgels and other dangerous weapons, reportedly trailed and confronted him. They branded him a kidnapper.

He was, according to him, subjected to intense battering and beatings until providence saved his life. He narrated his heartrending story to our Crime Editor, Emma Nnadozie. Excerpts:

“I got married to Ngozi Ejimofor in 2010, and we had three children. I filed for divorce in 2017 due to alleged infidelity at an Ikeja customary court. The court later gave judgment and ruled that the three children, Chigozie (5), Ifechukwu (3) and Angel Eze (1) should be under my care after I accused her of abandoning the children. The court, however, gave her the custody of my last daughter, Angel. I appealed that aspect and filed stay of execution but, to my greatest surprise, in December 2018, she stormed my house in a commando-like style and took them away and all my efforts to locate them since then proved abortive.

“However, early this year when she attempted to sell my land in Enugu, I was alerted by the person who sold the land to confirm if I gave her authority to sell the land.

“That was how I knew that she is staying in Enugu with the children. But, anytime I called her begging her to, at least, let me set my eyes on my children, she will tell me that they are in Abuja, that I should go to Abuja to see them.
Address

“If I tell her to give me the address in Abuja, she will cut off my phone and block my number. So, this time around, I appealed to the man that sold the land to me to help show me where they are staying. In August, this year, I bought eleven pairs of shoes and took to Enugu to see and give to my children and when I got to Amorji Nike where they are living, I called her and told her that I was close to her place to see the children and give them things I bought for them.

“She refused to let me see them and told me that they were not around, that I should give whatever I brought to someone to give them later.

“After my pleadings fell on deaf ears, I gave the shoes to someone to give to them, and I told her that I will be coming by September ending to bring phone to my son so that I can be communicating with them. “When I came in that September, she blocked my line, but I was able to locate where they are living.

“When I got there, I met their landlady who asked me to wait as my children will soon come back from school and I waited until my son came back and I gave him the phone I bought for him.
School

“After sometime and my daughter did not come, I told my son that we could go to her school so that any other time I could go and see her in the school. “When we got to the school, JG International School, the teacher called their mother and informed her that I was around and she told them not to allow me see her and I left, took my son back to their house.

“However, as I was walking towards where I will take a commercial motorcycle called keke, suddenly; two scruffy-looking boys double crossed me and ordered me to follow them.

“They started beating me and I had no other option than to run for my life. They over powered and subjected me to thorough beating and battering. “They were hitting me with sticks, cudgels, stones and rod and at the same time shouting on people to come as I am a kidnapper.

“At that stage, many people started running towards me, armed also with different dangerous objects.
Almost dead

“I was struggling to escape but I saw that some were also rushing towards us with tyres preparatory to lynching me.

“I was almost dead and I used the last breath left in me to start shouting that ‘I am a journalist not a kidnapper that I came from Lagos to see my children that left me for long’.

“When the crowd gathered and was enjoying the beating, even while I was shouting that I am a journalist, they were still beating me mercilessly until one man shouted that he is a friend to the Chief Security Officer of vigilante group in the area, Amorji Nike, and told them to stop beating me.

“He insisted that they all will go with me to prove that I came to see my children. They then took me back to the house where my children are staying, brought my son out and asked him if he knows me and he told them that I am his father.

“He showed them the phone I bought for him.

At this stage, the three boys whom I later learnt were dreaded and notorious cultists well known in the area sneaked out from the crowd and disappeared. “In fact, the man that saved my life was almost crying, telling them that they could have lynched an honest man.

“The irate crowd who were relishing and ready to burn me alive started disappearing and left only me with the man that saved me.
Fire and brimstone

“I was taken to the house of the Chief Security Officer in the area and, after narrating my story to him, he invited my ex wife.

“When she came, she started threatening fire and brimstone though, denied that she did not send anyone to kill me saying that it was the school authorities that sent the people.

“At that stage, the CSO told us to come back the next day. By then, I was in deep pains all over my body.

“Surprisingly, there were no open wounds but I was feeling as if I was carrying big stones inside my body.

SOS

“I managed to send an SOS message to a Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG, in Abuja who swiftly directed me to see a top police officer in Enugu State Command.

“When I arrived there, the officer also called the DPO in-charge of the area and directed him to swing into action and arrest all those involved in the dastardly act.

“I proceeded to the police station in Abakpa Nike and they succeeded in arresting one of the teachers from my daughter’s school.

“The teacher confessed before the police that it was my estranged wife that sent the boys, that she heard them discussing it.

“However, when the DPO asked her to come, she told the DPO in my presence that she will not come.

“From the countenance of the DPO, it seemed they all know her.

“Nevertheless, the DPO told me to go after assuring me that as soon as she reports; I will be invited for interview with her.
Arrest

“Meanwhile, I have been informed that she was arrested by the police and the case may be transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department, SCIID, Enugu for further investigation”.

When contacted on phone, the Chief Security Officer of the vigilante in the area, who identified himself as Pastor Gab Ugwu, simply said, “I heard they were beating somebody in my area of jurisdiction and I sent my men to rescue him.

“They did and brought him to my office. I asked him questions and called the wife to state her case. After that, I told them to come tomorrow that we will investigate the matter.

“The next thing is that I heard that police had taken over the case. At that stage, we stopped our investigation.”
Threat

However, when contacted on phone, the estranged wife stated: “He abandoned his children for years and was busy claiming what he is not. I did not send anybody to beat him but if he steps his foot in Enugu again, I will be sorry for him.

“Even you the reporter, if I see my name in any newspaper, I will sue you. What is your business with my family life? He was busy framing me throughout the duration I stayed with him in Lagos and I suffered much.

“He tricked me into marriage claiming he had money but he has nothing.”