Encomium
- . details of her injury and how she left their matrimonial home
‘How John Edobor wrecked my life’ –IVIE EDOBOR
“Dear friend, to shed more light on my ordeal, this is my story. Two years ago, my husband kicked me out of his house along with my three daughters aged nine, seven and four.
“I was forced to move back to my father’s house and struggled to provide for my three children as he completely neglected them and even took them off his medical insurance provided by his office Zenith Bank Plc. After much struggle, I finally got back on my feet. Got a great job, enrolled my kids in a new school and rented an apartment for my three kids and I.
“About Easter time this year he decides he was to be part of my children’s life again. I allowed him access to the children as I felt we could be civil to each other for the sake of our children. At this time, I had started putting my documentation together for the divorce process.”
“I have been married legally to my husband John Okeikhan Edobor staff of Zenith Bank Plc, Risk Management Department Head Office for nine years though separated for the last two years. In 2014 to be precise, my husband of seven years then kicked me out of our matrimonial home. Why you would ask? I had been running a diaper and household consumables business. Importing the products myself and also buying from other dealers.
“The business thrived to the point where I felt it was okay to expand. I got loans from different people and finance houses to enable me run the business properly. Unfortunately, the business failed and I ran into big debts. On this premise, my husband of seven years John Edobor kicked me out of his house saying he would have nothing to do with me till all my debts were cleared. He threw my things out in the middle of the night with the help of his younger sister while my children cried especially my last daughter who was two years old at the time. For two days I slept in my car, hanging around hoping that he would change his mind and allow us work through it together.
“Instead he asked me to come and pick up my three daughters else he will send them to the village. I picked my three children with a few of their things and left his house. Luckily, his cousin (late now) and godfather to my last daughter who was also living in the Ajah environ took my children and I in for a few weeks.
“When my husband found out he quarreled with his cousin till my children and I were forced to move again. You might wonder why I remained in the Ajah environ; it was because my children attended school there and were in the process of writing exams. Secondly, my father’s house was on the mainland and would be difficult to keep up with school runs.
“I therefore decided with nowhere else to go, to lodge at a hotel with my three children close to their school. For three weeks, we stayed and went to school from the hotel till exams were over and I moved finally back to my father’s house. On getting back to my father’s house, we struggled to survive as the rest of my unsold goods remained in my husband’s house.
“After much pleadings, he asked me to come over and pick all my things, the goods inclusive. With the help of my father, I was able to get a truck to pick up all my goods but on getting there, my husband packed up every single item belonging to my children including their pictures hanging on the wall of the house and threw them at me telling me that he wanted nothing of ours in his house.
“He also informed me that we no longer existed to him that he would start a new family with a woman that would bear him a son since I had just daughters. He did move in with his lover, a divorcee with a daughter and even posted explicit pictures of them on his Facebook and WhatsApp wall to get to me.
I sold all the goods and all my jewelry including my wedding rings to pay off my debts and also provide for my children.
“God sent me a helper in my brother-in -law (my sister’s husband) who magnanimously assisted in clearing up my debts. For two terms my children and I will make the tedious journey from Orile Iganmu on the mainland, to Ajah for the children to attend school since their fees had been paid for the session. We would hit the road by 5am and make it to school before 7 am. I would then allow the kids some time to sleep before tiding them up and sending them off to school.
“Then I will hang around till 2pm when I would pick them up and we will do the journey back to the mainland, there were times when my kids and I would get home by 9:10 pm spending all the time in traffic trying to get home. Most times their homework will be done in the car. I remember asking him for the fees of my last baby as it had not been paid, but he insulted me, telling me that the kids were now my responsibility and I should sort the fees out myself. Again, I had to provide for my child without his help.
“We survived this time and when the session ended, I decided that the kids will no longer attend the school at Ajah instead I will get them a good school on the mainland so they didn’t have to journey to school and back. In all this time, my husband and his family never bothered about us or bothered to visit the children. I didn’t hear from my husband again apart from insults and abuses till September 2015 when the new session began.
“Apparently, my husband had expected me to ask him for the kids’ school fees. When I didn’t, he went to the children’s school in Ajah to ask for them but was informed that my children were no longer in the school as I had informed them that I was changing their school to one closer to us on the mainland. It was at this point John called me asking why my children were not in school that he had gone to pay their fees for the first term and was told my children are no longer at the school.
“I immediately informed him that I had gotten them a new school in Surulere to be precise and their fees for the session paid in full. I got a good job heading the Human Resources of a telecoms servicing company and life became better for my children and I. They went to school regularly, ate and played like normal children would. I ensured they lacked nothing. After two terms, about a year and some months after being kicked out of my matrimonial home, I rented an apartment in Surulere for my children and I so life could be a lot easier especially with their school being in Surulere.
“Just after Easter this year, just about the same time I moved into my own apartment with my children, my estranged husband went to my father’s house by 5am asking to see us. But before this time, he had been calling me and asking for us to settle our differences but I insisted that I had moved on but for the sake of our children I would be civil with him. I had even allowed him to start speaking with the kids on the phone but no contact.
“On getting to my father’s house, my father informed him that I was no longer staying at his house but that I had moved to my own place with my children and two house helps. After much persuasion and appealing I told him where I lived and after some time he came to the house and saw the kids after such a long time. I really did think he was genuine.
Although our marriage to me had ended especially as he had moved on with another woman I still agreed to be civil with him for the sake of our children.
“On one occasion I had allowed the kids stay with him for the weekend, my first daughter called me and was in tears on the phone to tell me that her father had called them and proceeded to interrogate them if a man stays in my house with me or comes to visit. He even went as far as asking my house help, who was with my kids to call him anytime a man is in my house so he can come there.
“When they came back home I challenged him on that and told him our marriage was over and that I would go ahead to process a legal separation.
He apologised for his actions and asked to be part of my children’s life and upbringing. As what I thought of as a sign of good fate, he paid their fees for the first term 2016/2017 session.
“On June 18, 2016, my father turned 72. My sister and I decided to throw him a small house party. We all went to my dad’s house and spent the day with him. I arrived back at my house with my children and house helps at about 7pm. I settled my kids at home.
“At about 8pm a friend of mine came to pick me up as we had a function to attend and I wasn’t willing to drive at night since the function would go on till late. We left the function at about 1am and arrived in front of my compound gate by 1.20 am. Early hours of June 19th on my way back from a function, a friend had parked right in front of the gate of my apartment to press the bell for the gateman to open the gate and let me into the compound when suddenly he was rushed at and attacked by a man waving an object.
“The first impression was that it was an armed robber trying to rob us. My friend (a man) pushed him away but he came charging back; at this point I looked out the opened door and realised it was John Edobor my estranged husband. Before we could react a group of area boys showed up but rather than saving us from the assailant, they joined him.
“They proceeded to beat my friend to the ground giving John the opportunity to focus his attack on me. He used a metal bar (wheel spanner/metal rod) to try hitting me on the head through the opened drivers door but I shielded it. Not satisfied with that, he turned to the passenger’s door and dragged me out to the ground. I landed on the ground with my legs extended where he proceeded to hit me on the leg continuously with the metal.
“When he was satisfied he was about going back to join the area boys, who had gathered around my friend when my neighbour who had heard my screams for help and saw from his window a man striking someone on the ground. Thinking it was an armed robber, he jumped down from his balcony with a machete to save whoever was being attacked.
“On getting down he was faced with my estranged husband whom he had prevented from entering my compound without my permission on two occasions, so he recognised him. It was at that point he overpowered John. The area boys recognised him (my neighbour) as a member of the security team for the street and backed off my friend. He was searched and a dagger was also found on him.
“By that time I couldn’t stand up and my leg was bleeding profusely. I was rushed to the hospital where my jeans was torn off my leg to see the nature of my injury. The injury was so severe that my broken bone torn through my skin puncturing an artery in the process. I had even lost some of my nerves on my foot. At a point the doctors had contemplated cutting off the foot as gangrene had started forming on the toes. God being so good, the orthopedic surgeon decided to take a chance to perform the surgery on the leg even if the artery wasn’t completely healed.
“Almost three months and two surgeries later, I have titanium plates and screws to keep my leg in place and I am unable to use my right leg. I still have my three children to care for and my life is at a standstill. The perpetuator was charged to court and released on bail three days later. Now he moves around freely carrying on with his life. Now, is it wrong for me to cry for justice?”
“While in hospital, I gathered that John was arrested on the night of the attack and charged to court by the police the next day. He was granted bail and released three days later. Ironically, the day he was arrested, his family (mother and sisters) that I hadn’t seen or heard from since he sent me packing; arrived Lagos that same day. They saw him at the police station and proceeded to the hospital to see not necessarily concerned about my injuries but to ask me not to charge the case to court. While John was at the station he kept on sending threats and demeaning messages.
“Upon his release by the court, several times he tried to gain access to me at the hospital. By this time, my neighbor who saved my life that night had become a permanent fixture at the hospital protecting me from further attack by John. Why wait three months after the attack to speak up you might ask? While I was battling for my life in the hospital, I had considered my children and the stigma they may pass through if their father were to be thrown into jail and I decided to keep calm and focus on my health and my life. At this time my family (father in particular) and my husband’s family had been trying to mediate. Even to the point of trying to sweep the case under the carpet.
“All this time John continued to exhibit arrogance acting as if paying the hospital bill was a favour to me. I’m not talking about his further threats, lies and even insults from him and his siblings. Now three months and two surgeries after the deadly attack, I believe I had given John enough time to retrace his steps and my being quiet battling for my life was being perceived as weakness.
“As I write you now, my hospital bill is yet to be paid by the perpetuator. I have lost the use of my right leg though with physiotherapy and loads of follow ups the doctors are hopeful that I will walk again. I am unable to walk and thus unable to carry out my duties effectively at my place of work. I’m currently on compulsory sick leave till I can get back on my feet unfortunately this will take some time and I am not sure how long my employer will be able to wait for me to recover as my date of full recovery is yet to be known not even by the doctors.
“I reached out to his employers via phone text and even email (Zenith Bank Plc) and nothing was done.
My question now is, how do I provide for my three children my husband deserted two years ago and I have singlehandedly provided for as a single parent? How is it possible that the perpetuator of such a violent act moves around freely while my life is at a standstill? I want justice served please. I want my bills paid.
“My children provided for as in upkeep, fees and even the house rent now that I am unable to carry out my duties as a single parent and professional due to the injuries inflicted on me by John Edobor. I also want the immediate dissolution of our marriage with me having full custody of my children. And finally, I want him punished by the law for carrying out such a premeditated attacked on me.”
‘My wife is wayward. It was her boyfriend that injured her’ –JOHN EDOBOR
Ivie Angela Edobor who lives in Surulere, Lagos, got married at Saint Dominics Catholic Church, 356, Herbert Macaulay Street, Yaba, Lagos on Saturday, 30th June, 2007 at 12:00noon. We did the traditional marriage ceremony at the father’s compound at Abisogun Estate, Alafia Sari-Iganmu, off Lagos Badagry Expressway on a Thursday, 28th June, 2007. And as well as the marriage Registry in Lagos at Ikoyi on the 17th January, 2007 (all the marriage documents are attached).
Ivie and I are blessed with three lovely children (three girls – senior 9 years old; second – 7 years and 4 years old respectively). Ivie and I had lived together all these years in peace devoid of rancour and acrimony together and love.
Ivie Edobor once worked for Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc until she resigned her appointment on the 11th July, 2011 in view of the fact that she was been accused of collecting kickbacks from the bank’s contractors in order for her to perform her duties as administrative staff. She exhibited these traits of fraud, corrupt practices and financial misappropriation which led to her termination and dismissal from Econet (now Airtel)
… Prior to marrying me she once worked at a prominent multinational mobile company (Econet now Airtel) where She was dismissed for lack of integrity due to lies in addition to her serial borrowing from her many colleagues.
When Ivie resigned from Stanbic IBTC Bank in 2011, (find attached her resignation letter) in order for her not to be at home doing nothing, we both had a discussion on her nest line of what she could do and then she suggested that she wanted to start importing diapers from the United Kingdom (UK) and start distributing and selling in retail which I obliged her by giving her initial start-up capital of about N500, 000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) and as the year progresses, we noticed that the business was moving I had to borrow moneys from friends and with my personal savings to inject into the business which amounted to about N 8million (eight million naira only).
Every year, it was our agreement that audit be done to ensure that, the business is actually doing well and to make sure tax is paid to government as well. This was actually adhered to in 2012 and in 2013, I noticed that Ivie had refused to call the accountant to come audit her books. I kept insisting on the audit to be done since she knows the accountant and have his contacts and moreover where we were staying in Ajah at No 76, House 3, Street X, Abraham Adesanya Estate, Ajah, Lagos, was not far from where the accountant was actually living in Ajah.
This persisted until in September 17th 2014 when strange faces of people I had never met or spoken with before kept coming to knock at my gate as early as 5 a.m. every morning to demand for their moneys from Ivie and when the amount was added together that came knocking and requesting for their moneys it came to about N25,204,250 (Twenty five million, two hundred and four thousand, two hundred and fifty naira only). Please see attached the list of people she was owing and these people are available if you which to speak with them. Most of them said Ivie told them that her dad was sick and she needs money to treat her very sick dad. Just like she has said on FB that I don’t give her money….
Despite all these borrowings, Ivie could not account for what the sum of N25, 204,250 was spent on and till date she has not being able to explain in clear terms what the money was used for. She could not explain to me or her family members how she spent such huge sum of money. It became clear of recent after two years that she actually borrowed these moneys to save face from shame since Mr. Matthew Agbaire who she was dating was threatening to blackmail her if she could not part with money anytime Matthew Agbaire requested for any sum to use for himself.
On 11 October 2014, one of the ivie’s creditors known as Tolu and her family members, came to the house when I had gone for a training, dragged my sister (Otekpen) out of the bathroom when she was having her bath and assaulted and humiliated her. The matter was reported by me to the Nigerian Police Station, Ogombo, Ajah, Lagos and the matter was recorded in crime diary S/NO 80, Time 2055 HRS. (go and verify for yourselves).
When the threat of violence was becoming too much, I advised Ivie to relocate to her father’s house temporarily till a time that the entire or substantial part of the indebtedness would have been defrayed and the threat of violence most especially on the children of the marriage would stop.
After Ivie left our matrimonial home as agreed, we were still meeting on Fridays to Sundays at the matrimonial home in Ajah to discuss our family affairs. And we were during this period still performing our marital responsibility to each other. (evidence to support this assertion with printed copies of correspondence between us and her pregnancy.)
In November 24th, 2015, Ivie was pregnant for me with twins which she confirmed severally in our chat (see attached for your perusal and confirmation the ultra sound scan report for the LMP and EDD) and the pregnancy grow for 5 (five) months and the babies had become 5(five) months old in June.
Since Ivie was living in Surulere despite my several plead to the father to allow Ivie and the children to come join me in Yaba notwithstanding that Ivie and I looked for the apartment in Yaba for us to live as one family again, Ivie deceded to stay back in surulere and every Fridays she would come to sleep with me while on weekdays she kept sleeping with Matthew Agbaire who is married with his own kids.
Until May 2016, when my kids where on midterm break, and they came to spend the holiday with me in Yaba that two of my children told me that, every night, one uncle Matthew was always coming to the house to sleep in mummy’s room till the next day and he will buy them suya. And when I asked Ivie she initially denied until I showed her a video clip of what the children told me that she then admitted (see attached our chat for your perusal) and at this time Ivie was still pregnant.
Since Ivie knew the consequences of her action she begged and pleaded that, she would need to go for confession which she did in June 5th, 2016 at Saint Dominic Catholic Church, Yaba. There she promised the reverend father Felix never to go back to such life again. Two days later I received a phone call from the house help that, Matthew came again to take her out and did not return until late in the night. When I asked Ivie she denied and she beat up the house help as well as collected her phone from her.
At this time Ivie had threatened she was going to flush the babies since I am doubting the paternity of the twin. Because, I asked Ivie if you are pregnant for me and still kept sleeping with another man (Matthew Agbaire) so who own the babies? We would need to do a DNA test to actually know who their father is.
Three days later, Ivie and Matthew Agbaire went to abort the babies since she was worried that I kept insisting on the DNA of the children. When I asked ivie what happened to the babies she said she could not face the shame of having bastard children which am not ready to father and this kept me worried up till now since Ivie could kill children that were already formed (7months) babies.
I spoke with the father who lives in Orile, in Lagos and even went to see him about it and all I got from the father was he will talk to Ivie and two of her aunties and I tried calling her mother who lives in UK but she would not pick her calls and as well told my family members about it too.
On what happened in June 19th 2016, incident that got Ivie admitted at Tokin Hospital for broken leg, contrary to claims by Ivie, she actually got injured during a scuffle between myself and Matthew Agbaire who brought out a hammer his tool box in his car to fight me when Ivie at sighting me started shouting ole, ole for the security men to come and kill when Matthew brought her back home past one (1:00a.m.) in the morning while the children were left at home with a girl of about 13years old to care for them while Ivie and Matthew went to a hotel to have sex. Ivie in an attempt to allow Matthew to run away was holding on to my hands backward and in the course of my struggle, Ivie and I fell to the ground and then, Matthew wanted to seize the opportunity to slam the hammer in his hand on me which I dodged and then I noticed he was not relenting the second time after first strike which actually hit ivie, and then she shouted, when saw him trying to raise his hand again, I had to row over ivie and stood on my feet before the security men came to rescue the situation. Matthew quickly rushed her to a hospital in Surulere perhaps the same hospital the twin was aborted by Ivie and Matthew.
Ivie has consistently told people that I have not been taking care of the children school fees (find attached the receipts of my children school fees till date for your perusal) and that because they are girls and not boys that was the reason I drove her out of the matrimonial home. This statement is reckless and unfortunate because I love my daughters and in several instances I had used prominent woman who are role models like Okonjo Iwala to buttress my stand on this even to her. I do know for sure my children will grow up to be greater than men and their knowledge will be sort after around the world. She has push out false information to the public for her to continuously gain sympathy from the public, press, bloggers, the civil society and human rights activist.
In another case, she has said I came prepared with the intention to kill her that night she was injured by Matthew, with a knife and of recent a dagger and crowbar or wheel spanner to attack her. And I keep wondering with the inconsistency the tools she keep naming that I used. The fact is, I came into Lagos that night (18th June, 2016) from school in Ile – Ife at about 9p.m. with my school bag and book in it and my car was parked at the stadium where I drove to her house which is a stone throw away from her house and I did not get Yaba before going to see her that night since we had agreed to meet that night. Matthew was the one who works for a construction company and had his tool box where he brought out his big hammer he used on Ivie.
It will shock you to know that Ivie was married to one Mr. Benedith Jatto on the 17th December 2002 a document she used in her NYSC and equally in her former place of employment while she was working with Airtel Nigeria. I got to know and see all of these when this issue came up and a copy of the document is available for your perusal. And up till date that married has not been dissolved which means ivie is legally married to two men.
Ivie is doing all these for her to hide her shame and the face of Matthew Agbaire a father of two who is still married to his wife, and work in Centrix Allied Limited who is the brain behind her termination of the twin and the her broken leg. It is unfortunate that Ivie is acting this way because as my wife and mother of my beautiful children this is not the way I planned for us.
As a responsible father I have consistently played my role and provided for them to the best of my ability all that they needed.
So please tell me how I went wrong…. You can imagine my shock to find out that I am her 2nd husband…was it wrong of me to have encouraged and empowered my wife? Please tell me which man will take it…she only shouted out so the issue of the children she killed will not come limelight….
