Victoria Okoro, the estranged wife of Francis Obila, son of the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, has lamented alleged eight-week separation from her two infants.
In a long Facebook post on Monday, Ms Okoro appealed that she should be allowed access to her children again.
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The young mother said she and her husband separated on 21 June when their second child was barely three months old, while their first child was a year and six months.
She said, out of respect for individuals connected to the family issues and hope that peace would prevail, she had remained silent for the past eight weeks despite unsuccessful attempts to access her children.
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“But eight weeks is a very long time for a mother to be separated from her children, especially children so young.
“I want to make something very clear: this is not about bitterness, revenge, or hatred. I have forgiven everyone involved,” she said.
Ms Okoro stressed that the public appeal was not mainly because of herself, but those involved in the issue.
“There are two innocent children at the centre of this situation. Children who did not ask for any of this.
“Children who should not have to bear the consequences of whatever disagreement exists between the adults in their lives. They deserve the love, presence and care of both their parents,” she said.
My appeal
In the Facebook post, Ms Okoro specifically appealed to her estranged husband, Mr Obila and the Deputy Governor, Patricia Obila, to allow her access to her children.
“I am therefore making this public appeal to my, Francis Obila, and his mother: I am asking that we find a peaceful and immediate resolution to this situation and that I be allowed access to and custody of my children,” she said.
The mother said she would exercise patience for one more week for the family to resolve the disagreement “privately and peacefully.”
“If nothing changes after that, I will have no choice but to begin sharing, in a series, the events and circumstances that have brought us to this point.
“I will not do so to insult anyone, destroy anyone’s reputation, or seek revenge.
“I will simply tell my story, present the facts as I experienced them, and allow the public to understand what has been happening behind the scenes for the past eight weeks,” she said.
“My children deserve better than this. And as their mother, I cannot continue to remain silent while they are caught in the middle.”
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She tagged in the post her estranged husband, the deputy governor and other officials of the Ebonyi State Government.
Deputy governor reacts
Reacting in a statement by her media aide Ogbonna Ewa on Tuesday, Mrs Obila said the matter was already receiving “appropriate attention” after it was referred to an unnamed branch of the Catholic Church and the state commissioner for women affairs
“These institutions are saddled with the responsibility of handling family and welfare issues with fairness, confidentiality, and respect for all parties involved,” the deputy governor said.
She appealed to Nigerians to exercise restraint, respect the family’s privacy and then allow the institutions looking into the matter to resolve it without worsening the situation.
“I have full confidence in the church and the Ministry of Women Affairs to handle the matter professionally and ensure an amicable resolution.
“I therefore appeal to the public to avoid the spread of unverified information and to allow due process to take its course,” she stated.
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