Published 19th Dec, 2023

By Timileyin Akinmoyeje

Bob Adio (not real name) returned home from work to an eerily empty house in February 2019. His wife of eight years and his two children were gone. Before then, he had stopped at his children’s school to pick them up, only to find out that his wife had already taken them.

Getting home to meet no one unsettled him. Immediately, Adio began to comb his house for clues on his family’s whereabouts. But what he found confused him more. Apart from the fact that his family was missing, it appeared they had intentionally left home, taking luggage and all other essentials with them. Adio would later find out that his wife had fled to Europe with his two children.

Describing his situation, Adio told FIJ in an interview that his story was a case of child abduction, forgery and dishonesty. According to him, the story had been hatching since he tied the knot with Benedicta, his wife, in 2011.

FIRST CHILD, MAIDEN NAME AND THE FIRST TRIP ABROAD

In February 2013, Benedicta birthed Elsa (not real name), the first child of the family. According to Adio, she gave birth to Elsa in Italy. Benedicta travelled to the country in October of the previous year to prepare for delivery.

However, Benedicta did not return to Nigeria for another five months, against the initial deal she made with her husband. According to the husband, she cited health conditions and paperwork complications as her reasons for not returning to Nigeria on time. At the time, Adio did not think too much of it

When Benedicta eventually returned to Nigeria with Elsa in July 2013, Adio noticed something that triggered his curiosity. His first child did not bear his last name.

“In October 2012, after we had a slight back-and-forth about where she wanted to deliver her baby, she travelled to Italy. I had wanted her to give birth in Nigeria. As my first child, I wanted to go through the experience together with her,” said Adio.

“But she had put pressure on me, citing factors like the difference in healthcare quality as reasons. I eventually conceded to her travelling to Italy for the delivery of our daughter. She had to leave in October because, according to airline regulations, you are expected to travel 26 weeks before the delivery period, I think.

“In February 2013, my first daughter was born. Months after she gave birth to Elsa, my wife did not return to Nigeria. She stayed back in Italy until July. Whenever I asked about the child’s well-being and her return date, she always gave me one excuse or the other.

“All of the excuses she gave sounded like she had travel paperwork to sort out. Sometimes, she would also tell me she was not fit enough to travel.

“When my wife eventually returned to Nigeria, I discovered she had registered an international passport for our daughter in her maiden name. So, the child did not carry my surname as her last name; she carried her mother’s father’s surname.

“I asked her why, and she explained that she did things that way for ease, especially when passing through immigration points. She said she had to take that step to enable her to return home on time.

“I also asked her why she had not changed her name after we got married, and since our marriage certificate was presented to us. She could not come up with a convincing explanation.

“After we talked about it a few times, I let go of the issue. I didn’t think too much of it, and I had just seen my first daughter anyway. I was too happy to let any matter cause me sleepless nights then. To me, the matter seemed harmless. It was just a surname. It was also a new marriage.”

Adio’s decision not to take the matter seriously would cost him. Benedicta registered their second child, Jude (not real name), in her maiden name. Adio’s account and the international passports provided to FIJ substantiate this.

CHILD NUMBER TWO AND THE SECOND TRIP ABROAD

When Elsa turned one, Benedicta travelled again. This time around, she told Adio she needed to travel so that their daughter could get vaccinated.

“After a year, she told me she needed to travel with the child a second time. She said she wanted to go for a vaccination. She said without that, the child would not be allowed into the country again,” Adio said.

“I asked her what it was all about. I also told her she could get the child vaccinated in any hospital in Nigeria. This was someone I had just got married to. I should be able to have time with my wife and kids.

“But she gave me all kinds of stories, and I just had to let her go. She went again this time and she stayed for a while before she returned.”

Benedicta’s Image Some years Into the Marriage

Barely a year after she returned from the vaccination trip, Benedicta became pregnant with another child. Just like she did with Elsa’s case, Benedicta chose Italy as her location of delivery. When he came back weeks after delivery, she had registered their son’s name with her last name

“In 2014, she was pregnant again with our second child. She left again for the first time in 2015, and she had our son in November 2015. Like she did the first time, she registered the child with another maiden name again.

This time around, it was a big deal. I quarrelled with her. But with the intervention of some of her family members and acquaintances, we got over it. In the same pattern, she decided she wanted to get Jude (not real name), our second child, vaccinated in Italy like her sister, and I let her be”.

By Adio’s estimation, the trip to give birth to Jude was the third within just four years of their marriage.

BUILD-UP AND EXIT

In 2018, Benedicta travelled back to Italy. This time around, her journey was not about the children.

Adio observed that Benedicta brought two big bags to the house on her return. He, however, did not give the action much thought. After all, what possible harm could bags do?

“The whole thing played up until 2018. She travelled again to Italy. This time, she claimed she wanted to go for documentation and all that stuff. When she came back, I observed she had bought two luggage bags for the children, one for the boy and one for the girl,” said Adio.

“She kept the bags somewhere in the house. Unknown to me, she was moving stuff out of the house little by little, only for me to come back from work one day in early 2019 and discover that my wife had taken our kids and had moved out of the house. She had gone to the school, taken the kids and travelled to Europe.”

CHILDREN’S PATERNITY IN QUESTION

When Adio was eventually able to confirm that Benedicta had left Nigeria with his kids without his knowledge and consent, he contacted her to ask about them. The abrupt separation had created an unexpected question of custody for him. However, the response Benedicta gave left him surprised. It also gave Adio a clear idea of what Benedicta had planned all through the marriage.

According to Adio, Benedicta argued that he could not claim custody of the children since they do not carry his name. But this was not the only thing he was distraught about. He also discovered that his wife of eight years had been married to another man in Italy. This happened eight years before they met each other.

According to the marriage certificates provided to FIJ, the name of Benedicta’s first husband is Charles Izevbizua. Interestingly, Jude and Elsa, the children, carry the same last name as the first husband on their international passports

Adio told FIJ that he found Benedicta’s documents while he was trying to make sense of her disappearance. He believes she must have left them in a hurry. He found out, from the documents, that Benedicta’s actual maiden name was Osarobo.

These documents, which were made available to FIJ, revealed that she changed her surname to Izevbizua after she got married to Charles in 2005.

“When I confirmed where she travelled to, I tried reaching out, at least for the sake of my children. She argued that the children did not carry my name, so I should not even bother to fight for their custody,” said Adio.

“Thankfully, after she left, I saw some documents. She must have left hurriedly and forgotten them. These documents were her marriage documents. I saw everything. She first got married in 2005.

“The most shocking part was that her husband’s surname was the exact name on my children’s international passport. The name she told me was her maiden name.

“Meanwhile, all of my children’s school documents carry my name and even the birth certificates we obtained for them. What she did was create two names for them in two different environments. The international passports carry her former husband’s name. Their school documents carry my name.”

NAPTIP’S INVOLVEMENT

Recognising the different legal complications in his wife’s actions, Adio got the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) involved in the matter in 2022. He had initially assumed he could resolve the situation, but all of his attempts failed.

“Because of my children, I decided to involve NAPTIP,” Adio said.

“While NAPTIP investigated the matter, they called her to state the facts of the matter. Afterward, she said she would send her lawyer to them to explain on her behalf. I told them she was not going to send any lawyer, and that she only said what she said to buy time.”

When FIJ reached out to NAPTIP for comments on the development, the agency said it was still investigating.

Adio also told FIJ that NAPTIP advised him to get Interpol involved in the matter. Adio is conflicted on whether to inform the Interpol or not. He fears that the arrest may cascade into lawsuits and a lengthy jail term. He does not want that for his children. Adio also has reasons to believe that Benedicta absconded from his marriage to meet her ex-husband.

“I slowed down on the Interpol matter. If they get information and she goes to jail, my children will be affected. I believe in God and his justice system, and I just want to slow down with Interpol,” Adio said.

“I believe that all of her recent travels to Italy were to get resident permits for herself and the children. The law there, as I discovered, requires you to be in the country to process a permit.

“I believe that all of the extra time she spent in Italy during the first few years of our marriage was to process these permits and the prerequisite documents. My children are under her permit with her husband’s surname.”

‘I WILL TALK WHEN I AM READY’ — BENEDICTA

FIJ called and sent texts to Benedicta between December 5 and December 18 to discuss her husband’s allegation. Initially, she appeared to be stalling. When she granted FIJ audience, she requested an identity card. Presented one, she still withheld her response. On December 19, FIJ sent a reminder to Benedicta, and she said she would state her side whenever she was ready.

“Well, you may go ahead. Will give mine when I am ready,” she said.

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