Author: The Nation

An Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr. Benjamin Wordu on Thursday asked a customary
court sitting at Ibagwa-Ani, in Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, 
for  dissolution of his 14-year-old marriage with his wife, Nkem Juliet Wordu.

The ACP, who is the Area commander, in charge of Onitsha Area command of the
Nigerian Police, told the court that he was no longer interested in the marriage. He
is accusing his wife of gross disobedience to his orders.

A mild drama had played out at the commencement of hearing on the matter when Wordu
sat down during his cross examination, a development that was vehemently opposed by
the counsel to the respondent, Mr.  J.U Ugwuoke.

The President of the customary court, Sunday  Ugwude took notice of Ugwuoke’s
objection and asked him to make his protest formal.

Ugwuoko told the court that “I have never seen where anybody no matter how highly
placed sits down to answer questions in the court. I therefore, urge the court to
order the petitioner to stand up in respect to this court. If he must sit down, his
lawyer must appeal to the court to allow him do so”.

The application was not opposed by Wordu’s counsel, Ugwu K.A, who held the brief of
Offorkansi Clement. Consequently, the court ordered him to stand up.

However, his counsel later made official request to the court to allow him sit down. 

The request was not opposed and as such the court then obliged the appeal.

During the cross-examination, Wordu, who had earlier given his evidence on the 26th
of April, told the court that prior to the present crisis-ridden marriage, he had
also had another wife, who he divorced for undisclosed reasons.

He admitted that the said first marriage produced a son, identified as Wordu
Benjamin, Chinurum Jnr.

It was gathered that having divorced his first wife, the Rivers State born police
officer got married to Juliet, in 1999, a marriage that is also blessed with four
kids.

He admitted that Benjamin Jnr who was not living with him prior to his marriage with
Juliet, moved into his house after the marriage, adding that the boy lived
peacefully with the then new wife.

Wordu, who had variously been the DPO in charge of Uwani and Udi Police Stations,
Enugu told the court that by the time he was going on transfer to Rivers State in
2009, they were already having problems in the marriage.

One of the major issues he raised against Juliet, was that she allegedly despised
his order and went ahead to buy a vehicle.

“I told her not to buy any a car because at that moment, she was having problem with
her contracts in the Prison Officers Wives’ Association (POWA).

“She was the secretary of POWA, so I asked her to mind her business, which had to do
with construction of some stalls”, Wordu stated, adding that the former Inspector
General of Police also made efforts to resolve the crisis.

“The wife of the former IG of police became aware of the problem between us when she
reported the matter to them. The IG then directed the Rivers State Commissioner of
Police and his wife to look into the matter”, he said.

Wordu equally informed the court that he called a family meeting, where he told his
kinsmen of his wife’s alleged disloyalty to him by purchasing the car against his
directive.

He further disclosed that within that period, he was residing at Port Hacourt, while the wife and the children
were in Enugu.

“My wife is still holding my children; that’s why I am asking the court to allow me
have them. I don’t know when she relocated to Abuja with them”.

He alleged that he had it on good authority that his wife was getting married to
another man.

When asked to explain how he came about the information, he said one of his Nsukka
in-laws, simply identified as Coach sent text message to that regards.

It was gathered that part of the Area Commander’s grouse against the wife was the
inability of his in-laws to attend his father’s burial ceremony.

When asked whether he informed the in-laws about his father’s death he said: “I told
my wife about it, and having done that, I believe it is left for her to tell her
people. If somebody dies, a delegation must not be sent to inform people. I know
that sometimes some people will just hear where people are crying over loss of a
relation and they just run into the place without anybody inviting them and present
whatever they want to the bereaved”.

Mrs. Wordu, who had during her plea objected to the dissolution of the marriage is
to give her evidence on May 21.