New Telegraph

Sour Love: Couple on war path over alleged domestic violence, cancels wedding

The love between David Okike and Helen Ozioma which almost metamorphosed into a wedding after eight years dating/courtship has gone sour and became subject of discussion within and outside Ebonyi State, especially on the social media. Okike and Ozioma were to be wedded on April 16, but 72 hours to the wedding, the lady called it off citing domestic violence as her reason. The lovers are from Uburu in Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. They had already given out their wedding cards and invited many friends, associates, relatives, well-wishers and others to attend the ceremony.

Every arrangement had been made adequately to ensure the wedding was colourful but that was not to be following Helen’s action. Ozioma apologised to her family and friends for any inconvenience her decision may have caused them. This is happened in the wake of the recent death of popular Gospel Musician, Osinachi Nwachukwu who was allegedly a victim of domestic abuse. Her death had invoked discussions on divorce with many bashing her, Pastor Paul Enenche and the church for doctrines which preach against divorce.

The Pastor was also accused of knowing about the abuse not doing anything to help her. But Enenche in a video broadcast denied all the allegations saying that his church has zero tolerance for domestic violence. Ozioma, apparently because of this, called off both her traditional and white wedding. She took to her Facebook page to explain her reasons. Her dowry had been paid by her fiancé, Okike who incidentally was her secondary school mate.

In the statement on her social media which has gone viral, the lady accused her fiancé, Okike of physically abusing her repeatedly. She expressed disappointment over his behaviour. She a claimed that the maltreatment started immediately after Okike paid her bride price. She said: “This was my secondary school classmate who I thought I knew to an extent. On December 28, 2020 he did the first and second stages in my family marriage list which bride price happened to be on the second stage which he paid. After he paid my bride price he started maltreating me. “But 2021 was hell for me that at some point I left home, after everything we settled around November 2021 which he promised he will never beat me again. But still nothing changed. “This is my reason why I am calling off the Traditional Marriage (Igba Nkwu) and White Wedding ceremony between me and David Okike,” she said.

Ozioma while noting that physically abuse was not part of the agreement for their marriage, said she has been going through a lot since the beatings started “This Saturday should have been my traditional and white wedding ceremony day.

I supposed to be happy but I am not. For couple of months now, I have been going through a lot. “I have been in a toxic relationship for over a year now. I am aware that this may be a shock to many people, especially people from my Home Town. My supposed husband hit and abuse me in (sic) any slightest provocation, just small misunderstanding without minding what condition I am into (sic).” She said she was cancelling the wedding because “I have chosen me and I will not live my entire life facing domestic violence”. She added: “My supposed husband is full of rage, beating me with his belt, stick, broom is his daily routine.

“Many a times he had lifted his hammer on me and this Monday last week just because of little misunderstanding, he beat me mercilessly and on the process of it he rushed into his mother’s kitchen for a cutlass, when I noticed he’s going for a weapon, I locked the door behind him which he forcefully opened, both his mother and sisters and some neighbours were begging him not to cut me with the cutlass. With all these things and more I am fed up.” The bride, who noted that the “bride price paid” will be returned in due time, urged everyone to respect her choices.

But David Okike denied all the allegations levelled against him by Ozioma. Okike also turned to the social media like Ozioma to tell his own side of the story in the crashed relationship. Okike, in a statement on his Facebook handle, accused Ozioma of living a lavish and wasteful lifestyle and aborting three pregnancies belonging to him. While agreeing that they sometimes had disagreements, Okike said such disagreements never turned physical. He vehemently denied ever physically assaulting her.

He said: “Contrary to the statement my wife posted on her Facebook profile bearing Ada Uburu, which is currently trending, this is my story. “Let me first clarify that we have dated for over eight years and she bears Ada Uburu with her official name, Michael Helen Ozioma, and another identity – Sandra Obi, which she uses to suit her purpose of identification at a particular time.

“Within these years, I have never on any occasion, irrespective of the level of provocation, raised my hand on her and this is because I respect and adore her,” he said. Okike further stated that: “There was no such occurrence where I raised a knife, cutlass, and or harmer on her and it was shocking to read her fabrications in that regard. “Accepted that there is no perfect relationship, I can’t deny the fact that we sometimes disagree but it never led to assault as she alleged. “I make the above statements knowing that we were not leaving alone but surrounded by relatives which can as well serve as witnesses to how we lived while we were together in my house.” Okike said he is still in touch with Helen’s mother till date adding that: “This goes to prove that she is on her own and doesn’t enjoy her family’s support in the destructive line she has towed.”

He also accused the wife of swindling him of his hard earned money and postponing their marriage four times before finally calling it quits now. “This is difficult for me to bring to the public domain but I am aware that he who asserts must prove and that silence sometimes means acceptance and as such, I am handicapped safe from letting the public into this issue.

“I am now certain that she isn’t the woman meant for me as she is more interested in tarnishing my image and ruining my reputation after swindling me and postponing our scheduled marriage for four consecutive times. “To what gains exactly? Even after terminating three of my pregnancies without my consent. Why would a rational thinking woman keep quiet while I spend heavily on wedding arrangements when she was convinced she didn’t want the marriage to hold,” he said. Okike claimed that Ozioma had terminated the pregnancies because she never wanted a child before wedlock, which he accepted and respected her decision because of the love he had for her. “After paying her bride price in 2020, she took in and terminated the pregnancy. That was the third pregnancy she terminated.

“I was pained and we had some misunderstanding and it got to a stage where my mother-in-law got worried if she could still get pregnant because of her series of abortions. “Be it as it may, when we went for marriage counselling, the church decided that her condition does not permit holy matrimony but rather marriage blessings, this got her unnecessarily worked up,” Okike said.

He said that the lady became hostile to him and got angry at any little provocation. “It was the height of her frustration. She isn’t what I bargained for after all,” he lamented. While noting that Ozioma’s accusations are false and a ploy to lead the general public astray, Okike said he has accepted her decision to part ways. He, however, revealed that she was pregnant with his child and that the custom of their hometown forbid him from collecting the bride price till the child is born.

“This is someone I have supported financially even to the extent of opening a pharmaceutical and poultry business for her, facilitated her COVID-19 grants which she never gave me a dime from, rather she had her way and lavished it on her extravagant lifestyle. “I thank God that she is taking this direction and I accept and respect her decision. But telling lies to play a victim is way beyond normal and unacceptable. “Regardless of what happened, she is having my child, and the Uburu tradition and culture don’t allow that I receive the dowry I paid as she is pregnant for me at present, when she delivered (sic) my child, I will surely receive my dowry.

A woman with multiple identities,” he said. After Okike’s reaction on the allegation levelled against him by Ozioma, the lady took to her Facebook page again known as ‘Ada Uburu’ to response to the man’s claim Her latest post on the matter was titled: “David Okike, I am not your enemy. Sorry I can’t marry you” In the latest post, the lady denied having abortions arising from pregnancies for Okike.

She alleged that what Okike termed abortions were miscarriages as a result of the domestic violence she has continued to suffer in the relationship. Meanwhile, another wedding in the state that should have taken place some five days after Ozioma and Okike’s own wedding, has been truncated by gunmen who killed an Abakaliki-based businessman, Issac Nnaemeka Chukwu, a week to his wedding in Abakaliki, Ebonyi State capital.

Read Previous

Anxiety over ‘renaming’ of National Theatre

Read Next

CSOs call for end to extortion, extrajudicial killings in Osun

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *