A Lagos resident, Charles Chiawa, has been detained at the Ejigbo Police Station following a complaint lodged by his wife, Uche Chiawa, over his alleged decision to take a second wife.
According to SaharaReporters, Charles and Uche have been married for two decades, but tensions escalated when Charles reportedly fathered a child with another woman eight years ago.
Charles maintains that he has the right to take another wife since their marriage was conducted under traditional customs. However, Uche disputes this, arguing that their union was also registered as a court marriage, giving her legal grounds to take action against him.
“I also did court, not only traditional marriage. I used police to arrest him because he always beats me,” Uche told SaharaReporters on Friday morning, 14th March.
A source familiar with the matter described the incident as an apparent abuse of police authority, allegedly facilitated by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ejigbo Police Station, CSP Patience Osuagwu.
“Charles was detained at Ejigbo police station by his first wife on the allegation that he married another wife,” the source disclosed. “I was told the first wife has connections with the woman DPO at Ejigbo, and she wants her husband to suffer inside the cell.”
The source further alleged that attempts to secure Charles’ release were blocked by Uche, despite the case being a bailable offense.
“I reached out to the DPO, who said she would transfer the case to the gender department. I told her the man should be granted bail since it is a bailable offence. She agreed and said someone should come forward to secure his release.
“I told the second wife to go. When she got to the station, she met the first wife, who insisted that the man shouldn’t be released because he needed to suffer. Imagine the authority!”
“I called the DPO again to ask if she was aware that the second wife was there to bail her husband, but the first wife insisted he shouldn’t be released. The DPO said, ‘That does not concern me.’ I told the second wife to go again and not go alone this time, but they sent them out like dogs
The second wife also confirmed to SaharaReporters that the police were complicit in the matter.
“My husband was arrested around 2pm yesterday (Thursday, 13th March) when he went to visit the first wife and he called me. I went to the police station to bail him but the first wife kept saying they should not release him. That he wants him to suffer inside the cell. This is almost 24 hours now after his arrest by the police for what appeared to be family matters and they are not willing to allow us bail him,” she added.
When asked about Uche’s allegation that Charles physically abused her, the second wife denied it, stating that Uche never mentioned such claims at the police station.
“She did not raise any issue of beating at the station. She just brought it up when you called her,” she said.
SaharaReporters reached out to CSP Patience Osuagwu for comments on the situation, but she was dismissive.
“If that is the story they told you that led to his arrest, if you like, you can believe it, but I will not explain what happened to you on the phone unless you come to our station,” she stated.
When informed that visiting the station might not be feasible, she bluntly replied, “Then I am too busy to tell you what happened.”
(Source: SaharaReporters)
