When love turned sour

She gave her heart to the man she loved and cherished, but in return Regina Nwaogbaga got hate and threats rather than care and protection. EGWUAGHA AMARACHUKWU writes

The case of Regina Nwaogbaga and Bartholomew Okay can be said to be a typical example of sower love.

Love turned Sour
A case by human rights group, called Committee for the Defence of Human Rights(CDHR), Ebonyi state chapter, last Friday called for the arrest and prosecution of a man, Mr. Bartholomew Okah of Ndioga Agbaja for alleged attempt to kill his wife, Regina Nwogbaga, who is nursing a three- month old baby, According to Nwogbaga, the dou was in love but their love turned to sour for a reason best known to them.
“Okah and Regina were lovers. She got pregnant for the him and gave birth to a baby girl.
Regina (30), a trader, allegedly gave Okah the sum of N70,000 to keep for her.

Second wife
Okah who works in the Department of Works at Ebya Development Centre, Izzi local government area of Ebonyi state however stopped taking care of his wife just three months after she was delivered of a baby girl. To the surprise of their neigbours and relatives, Okah went on to marry a second wife.

Resolve
Regina then resolved to collect her N70,000 from Okah to take care of her baby because she was being abandoned by the man she loved so much.

Murder threat
She had demanded for the money when Okah, a level 8 officer allegedly threatened to kill her.
She insisted on getting her money back because, according to her, she was
finding it difficult to cope following her sudden abandonment by Okah.
But for daring to demand for her money Regina got battered by Okah .
During the battering she nearly lost her eyes as she sustained serious injuries on both eyes.
Regina also sustained body injuries.

Ordeal
Regina while narrating her ordeal said Okah stopped caring for her soon after he married another wife.
Hear her: “I and my new born baby were suffering of hunger and I decided to ask my husband to give me the N70,000 I gave him to keep for me since he no longer take care of us. When I met him the first time for the
money, he threatened to kill me and my baby.
“I then left and continued struggling for survival. Things became tougher for me and I decided to meet him again for the money. When I met him and demanded for the money, he descended on me, hitting me
with all manner of objects including rod and sticks, he would have killed me if not our neighbours that rushed and rescued me”, she said.

Regina’s father
In a chat with Regina’s father, Mr. Onyibe Nwogbaga lamented the attack on his daughter and called for his arrest and prosecution.
He said Okah has not paid Regina’s dowry.
Nwogbaga explained that men of the Nigerian Civil Defence Corps, arrested Okah over the attack on his daughter and ordered him to take Regina to the hospital for treatment, but that Okah refused.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Loveth Odah, confirmed the incident, describing it as attempted murder and domestic violence.

Okah’s Defence
When contacted, Okah admitted the attack on Regina, saying he directed a local patent medicine dealer to treat her but did not know whether the treatment was carried out on her or not.
Meanwhile, Committee for Defence of Human Rights in the state has called on the state police command to investigate the matter and bring the sispect to book.

Petition
In a petition addressed to the state Commissioner of Police and the state Family Law Centre, signed by Chairman of the group, Comrades Emeka Anosike and Jeremiah Onyibe, and made available to our correspondent, CDHR described the attack as inhuman, barbaric and wicked.

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