A collage photo of Sam Adikamkwu and his wife, Loretta
By Victory Oghene
The 31 years old marriage between Mr. Samuel Eziafa Adikamkwu, a former head of the legal department of a new generation bank to his wife, Mrs. Adikamkwu Loretta, is at the verge of collapse.
This development has culminated into trauma for Loretta, the wife Samuel, a former top management staff of the bank.
NATIONAL WAVES gathered
Mrs. Adikamkwu dragged her husband to the Federal Capital Territory High Court sitting in Gudu District and presided over by Justice M. Osho-Adebiyi for divorce following alleged abandonment by her spouse four years ago.
Court document
The divorce suit was on Wednesday adjourned to January 16, 2025.
The mother of four, Mrs. Adikamkwu dragged her husband of over 31 years to court for divorce over abandonment of the family for more than four years and alleged infidelity.
According to court document in Suit number PET/073/2023, Mrs. alleged that her husband packed out of their matrimonial home at Recreation Drive, Cooperative Villas, Badore, Ajah, Lagos and removed almost all his belongings therefrom (which included personal chattels, clothing and six vehicles of assorted brands) leaving behind the petitioner only vehicle (a Toyota land Cruiser) he gave to her some years back.
She further alleged that Mr. Adikamkwu withdrew all financial support and upkeep to the family, prompting her to desperately begin to dispose of all her belongings, in order to feed herself, the children and meet urgent Sundry costs, arising from the running of the home.
She also alleged in Paragraph 6(c) of her petition that after her husband abandoned his family, he was said to have been cohabiting with a lady called Miss Stella Umejuru with whom he regularly travels outside Lagos for business.
Mrs. Adikamkwu declared that her husband, who was formerly a Lecturer at Bendel State University, (now Ambrose Alli University), Ekpoma before he secured employment with the United Bank for Africa (UBA), has no reason whatsoever not to cater for his family as he is now engaged in booming property business after leaving the bank.
According to the lady, who is a graduate of Bendel State University, she would have been financially independent and be in position to cater for herself and the children but for her husband who stopped her from working several years ago.
She stressed that because of the financial difficulties she was facing with her children she was compelled to sell a lot of her belongings to cater for the family and was compelled by circumstances to invite a car dealer to assist her to sell the Toyota land Cruiser which her husband gave to her some years back to maintain the house that was dilapidating, settle numerous bills, including electricity and other sundry expenses.
The lady lamented that her husband got furious when he heard she had sold the car and he succeeded in retrieving the vehicle from a car dealer and the issue is now a subject of police investigation as some unknown persons have been stalking her and threatening her life since the family feud erupted.
Findings revealed that the sale of the Toyota car brought another dimension into the family rift as she was arrested on Thursday 24 October, 24, at about 7.30pm at the premises of Ikota shopping complex, Ajah, Lagos by policemen from Ajiwe, police station, who informed her she was wanted by Zone 2 Police Command.
She was detained for four nights and then transferred to Zone 2 Police Command, from where she was arraigned at the Magistrate Court 12 Igbosere, Lagos, on the charges of receiving N31 Million under false pretense, from a company.
While in police detention, it was gathered that her husband visited Zone 2 Police Command every day but refused to see her, or agree to a joint meeting with the Police and the woman suspect. It took the intervention of family friends and influential neighbours, who were concerned about her plight, to get her bail before the police, in a bid to justify her detention, arraigned her in court.
The charge sheet reads: “That you Adikamkwu Loretta on the 8th day of August, 2024, at NO. 378, Recreation Avenue, Co-operative Villa Badore, Ajah, Lagos State within the Magisterial District of this Honourable Court did obtain the total sum of Thirty one million Naira (N31, 000, 000.00) from Gbenge Joseph Ojebola ‘m’ under the pretext of selling one Toyota Land Cruiser Prado Jeep 2014 Model with Registration number KJA 328 FK , a representation you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 314 (1), (2) and punishable under Section 314 (3) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.
“Count II: That you Adikamkwu Loretta ‘f on the same date and place in the aforementioned Magisterial District did Steal the sum of Thirty one million Naira (N31, 000, 000.00) property of Gbenga Joseph Ojebola ‘m’ through your Stanbic IBTC’ Bank Account bearing Loretta Chidi Adikamkwu given by you to the victim and converted same to your personal use an offence Punishable Under Section 287 (9) of the Criminal Law of Lagos State of Nigeria 2015.
To her, members of her family and associates the charges came with a shock because there was no mention of the name of her husband, Mr. Adikamku who took the matter to the police; or the car dealer, one Segun Ajide, and the buyer, Mr. Gbenga Ojebola in the court case over the sale of the car.
There are also concerns over the involvement of the policemen from Ajiwe Police station and Zone 2 Command, Lagos in a matrimonial matter as this is in brazen breach of directives from the Police Service Commission that forbid them from interfering in matrimonial issues.
