“I am ready to refund his dowry" – Woman tells court

A civil servant, Mrs Victoria Ayegba, on Monday, offered to repay the dowry paid on her, in a bid to end a seven-year-old marriage that has turned to a nightmare.

“I am ready to refund the dowry. I will deposit it with the court registry so that he can go there and collect it,’’ she said.

Victoria, 37, is, however, pleading with the Upper Area Court in Mararaba, Nasarawa State to grant her custody of the seven children produced by her crisis-torn marriage to one Ezekiel Ayegba.

She said that she and Ezekiel had been living separately for the past two years because of their endless quarrels.

She said, “For the past seven years of our marriage, there has been no peace and harmony between us. Two years ago we separated.

“Ezekiel who calls himself a pastor has over the years made life unbearable and miserable for me.

“I have never been happy since we got married. He always finds fault in everything I do.

“To him, I have never done anything good. All I get from him is emotional pain.

“He has worsened it by disappearing to an unknown place with our children.

“The worst is that he has deprived me of seeing and having access to my children.

“I do not even know where he has taken them because they are no longer with him.”

The civil servant pleaded with the court to compel Ezekiel to return the children to her.

“I cannot live without them,’’ she cried.

Ezekiel failed to appear in court, in spite of sermons served on him.

The Presiding Judge, Mr Ibrahim Shekarau, adjourned the case till March 16 for hearing.