Drama ensued at the Enugu High Court when a man, Ikechukwu Utazi, said to be a legal practitioner and some policemen allegedly attempted to arrest a woman said to be his wife over the custody of their children. The attempt was foiled.
The woman identified as Esther was said to have filed a divorce suit at the State High Court against the husband, Utazi, over alleged infidelity, violence, lack of love and care.
In one of her reliefs, she prayed the court to grant her custody of their five children aged between one and 11 years.
However, when the matter came up on Tuesday, the presiding judge, Justice Linda Okibe, advised the estranged couple and their families to seek a settlement out of court for the sake of their children and promised to provide a counsel for them which the couple accepted. The court subsequently adjourned the matter till March 13, 2019, for the report of the settlement.
It was gathered that soon after they left the court premises, Utazi and some uniformed policemen with inscription ‘IGP Intelligence Response Team’ allegedly swooped on the woman and her one-year-old baby and attempted to whisk them away.
But following the quick intervention of bystanders who raised the alarm and reported the matter to the Chief Judge of the State, Justice Priscilla Emehelu, the plan was foiled.
It was gathered the CJ immediately, summoned the IGP Response Team and invited the Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Danmallam, and handed them over to him.
The plaintiff (Esther) had earlier told the court that they were married for 10 years and that all of a sudden the husband left home and lodged in a hotel for weeks with another woman.
She complained that the respondent (husband) wanted to forcefully take custody of the children, adding that she could not leave her children under the care of another woman.
“He wants the children and I cannot leave my children under another woman’s care so that is why I left with them. Besides, our first child is still 11 years and the little one is barely one year old and they are not in school because he refused to provide for them as I am not working,” she told the court.
In his response, Utazi, who represented himself, said that the woman ran away from his home with some of his belongings and children.
He earlier rejected reconciliation with the wife but later accepted the plea before the Justice Okibe.