Encomium
Olarenwaju Gentry, the estranged husband of star actress, Mercy Aigbe, is the architect of his present predicament. According to an official of the Ministry of Women Affairs and Poverty Alleviation who spoke to us under the condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to speak, Mr Gentry’s arrogance and lack of any sign of remorse when he met with the officials of the ministry was what led to his being charged with the criminal offence.
She said the ministry’s responsibility is to find a way of reconciling the warring partners in domestic violence issues.
Her words: “Usually, when we go to court, it is to get a restraining order to prevent the victim from further harassment and intimidation from the perpetrator.”
She said after this, the couple would be invited by the ministry for counseling.
She backed her argument up with a section of the “Law To Provide Protection Against Domestic Violence And For Connected Purposes” which states inter alia, “The law is not to dissolve a marriage. It is not a law of divorce. It seeks to remove the perpetrator of an abuse from the venue pending the time the abuse is corrected.”
She said their responsibility is to try as much as possible to reconcile the couple and encourage them to find peaceful options of resolving their differences rather than resorting to violence.
She mentioned when the ministry is convinced beyond reasonable doubt that the partners have learnt their lessons and are now ready to live with each other peacefully, they will go back to the court to lift the restraining order.
But where a party to the feud l, particularly the perpetrator of the violent act, refused to cooperate with the ministry, the case will be referred to the Domestic and Sexual Violence Response Team under the Ministry of Justice which has the power to charge the perpetrator of the violent act to court for both civil and criminal offence.
When asked whether that was the case with Mr Gentry, she refused to give us an affirmative answer.
Encomium.ng later gathered from another source that Mr Gentry’s arrogance and his lack of remorsefulness when he eventually agreed to meet with the officials of the ministry was certainly responsible for the quick transfer of the case from the Ministry of Women Affairs And Poverty Alleviation to Ministry of Justice from where he was charged before a magistrate court for alleged wife battery. He is liable to seven years in jail if found guilty.
Right now Mr Gentry is cooling his feet at Kirikiri Maximum Prisons, Apapa where he will be till Friday, May 12, 2017, when he will be back in court to perfect his bail conditions.
– Tolani Abatti for encomium.ng
