Maryrose told PUNCH that Kenneth, an army sergeant attached to 81 Division, Lagos, was a hot-tempered man who brutalised her occasionally even when she was pregnant.
She said he brutalised her during an argument on June 23, 2012 after which she fell unconscious.
Maryrose said, “He left us for over two weeks without sending money for upkeep and he even prevented me from working even though I am a graduate. When the frustration became too much, I sent him a text message saying I would bring the kids to his office and report to his boss”.
“He came home that evening and an argument ensued. He picked up an iron bucket and struck me in the head with it, making me to fall unconscious.
The graduate of Mass Communications from Enugu State University of Science and Technology said she was rushed to a hospital but before she was discharged, her husband had sent her children to an undisclosed location and denied her access to them.
She added that she had reported the matter to the military authorities but nothing had been done since then.
She said, “I was rushed to a military hospital after the assault but there were complications so I was transferred to a private hospital. My husband collected my phone and I was on admission for two weeks. No one contacted me and the hospital bill was accumulating. In fact, Kenneth abandoned me there.
“When I regained my strength, I reported to Col. Minimeh, the Commanding Officer, DARRR. He then directed the Military Police to handle the matter and Kenneth wrote an undertaking that he would pay the hospital bill which was about N150,000 and was detained.
“Brig. Gen. Yaki told Kenneth to bring the children back to Lagos and even gave him N10, 000 as transport fare. The Brig.Gen also gave me N10,000 to buy foodstuffs”.
Maryrose however said Kenneth returned after a week later without the children, saying that his family refused to release them. She said she received phone calls from her in-laws that she would never see her children again.
However Kenneth refuted the allegations against him and accused his wife of infidelity. Kenneth said he had paid the hospital bill, adding that his wife knew where the children were.
Meanwhile, Maryrose has approached a non-governmental organisation, Project Alert on Violence Against Women, to intervene. The Director of the group, Dr. Josephine Effa-Chukwuma, said cases of domestic violence being perpetuated by security agents had risen in recent times.
Chukwuma said her organisation had reported the matter to the army authorities but the case was dragging.
In a letter signed by the Major Eboh on behalf of the director of DARRR and addressed to Project Alert on Violence Against Women, the military authorities promised to give the matter full attention.
Similarly, the Public Relations Officer, 81 Division, Lt. Col. Kayode Ogunsanya, said he was handling the matter.
“The issue in question has been referred to me for further investigation and counselling”, he said.
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