RE : 56 YEARS OF MARRIAGE, WIDOWED AND BANISHED FROM
HOME AT THE AGE OF 73.
I tearfully bring to your attention a case of injustice,
humiliation, dispossession of my legitimately earned
belongings, inheritance from my late husband and
banishment from my home and community, after 56
years of marriage to my husband, Prince J.A. Ayuk who
died on August 13th 2009.
The nature of the matter involved, my age, health and
economic conditions prompted my soliciting your
intervention as I do not know who or where to turn to
for justice.
My contact: +2347068072872.
My ordeal and predicament began thus:
My name is Lucy Afu Ayuk, the only surviving and weded wife of Prince Jerome Afu
Ayuk of No. 1Echi Njok street, Bendeghe Ekiem village in Etung local government
Area of Cross River State, Nigeria. West Africa.
The problem started as soon as my husband died when two of my step sons: Owan
Afu Ayuk (a teacher in Etung comprehensive secondary school Bendeghe Ekiem
village) and Mgboki Afu Ayuk (a deputy superintendent of police[ DSP], in the police
officer’s wife association ,[POWA.] Nigerian police force headquarters Abuja)
threatened to prevent their father (my husband) from being buried if I do not
produce his will and his bank account details. I could not produce any will since my
late husband never wrote or left any; neither was I able to produce his account
details, as there was none. It was therefore agreed by family members that no will
should be honored by them after the burial.
Let me state here that no will emerged even as at the point of this my cry because
to the best of my knowledge, my late husband did not make any.
My husband and I owned a vast cocoa and palm plantation / several housing estate
and plots of land both in the village and in Ikom town. My husband
( a then big time cocoa farmer who won the second price of the year’s best cocoa
farmer award, 1980) allocated a portion of the plantation to me, the evident of
which the allocation ceremony/ traditional transfer of ownership is videotaped with
some members of the family as witnesses. The apartment I leaved in with my
husband for over forty (40) years and even my kitchen/store outside the house are
all taken away from me even before the elapse of the mourning period.
My farm is the only means of lively hood I have.
My step son, the DSP Mgboki mounted enormous pressure on me to relinquish
these properties by midnight phone threat to my life, saying that I should die so
that he will give me a befitting burial if not that he will make sure I leave my
husband’s house before the end of the year. Another time he abused me saying, is
the mourning not over ?, why don’t you go and remarry after all my father is dead,
what are still doing here ? !. I then asked him to whom at 73 years of age.
Notwithstanding that it runs contrary to my husband’s wish as he instructed me
before his death, never to leave his house no matter what. I became so troubled in
my mind that the worries heightened my blood pressure.
Shortly after, my palm oil making machine that cost fortune was removed just to
make sure they eliminate my only source of feeding and taking care of myself.
After the mourning period, I went to my farm and harvested the palm fruits for
making palm oil that I sell to make a living but my step son who is now late came
into my farm and cease all my harvest, and called in the police to arrest and lock me
up in addition. I was bailed, there after the police blamed him for his action because
they said he referred to me as the woman until I told them he was my step son.
They now advised him to allow me to carry my harvest and warned him to let me
be.
The second time I went to continue with my harvest, he again came around and
collected all I have harvested, at this my age of 73 I could not physically challenge
him so I went back to the same police station to complain but was told by the police
that I should consult a lawyer that there is nothing police can do. This because the
DSP has influenced his colleagues after being briefed by his step brother.
Based on this frustration, I reported the matter to the women commission in calabar
the state capital who wrote to them : Mgboki Afu Ayuk ( the dsp), Owan Afu Ayuk
including my brother in law, Daniel Ewor Abangwho is out to avenge on an offence I
never committed .
My brother in law went and lied to them that he has settled the issues. Rather than
the commission finding out from me , they did nothing again irrespective of my
several protest to them for inaction, still nobody listened to me. And my two step
sons never showed up at the commission.
All these problems are orchestrated by my brother in law who accuses me of not
allowing his late senior brother (my husband) to train his children in school. He saw
the brother’s death as an avenue to avenge by conniving with my step sons to cease
the little my husband gave to me for my up keep, the vast cocoa and palm
plantation/ housing estate/plots of land my husband left at their disposal for
shearing among themselves notwithstanding.
The truth is that my husband was a retired veteran soldier of the 2nd world war, by
this, he was a very difficult man for any woman to manage except one with special
gift of infinite tolerance, hence, is not surprising every other wife left the marriage.
How on earth could it be possible for a man of this strong character and self willed
to be influenced into not helping a brother. I never did. He backed my step sons
because they promised to rebuild his burnt house should he side them. This same
brother in law collected the sum of fifty thousand naira (N50, 000.00) from me
saying it is traditionally his entitlement as the rightful one to disburse his late
brother’s property to the members of his family. He is aware that a portion of that
farm is mine that’s why he collected the money from me but when he came under
severe pressure and the promise , he declined.
My step son Owan last three months died of stroke, capture by a complication of
high blood pressure and diabetes as diagnosed by joint hospital Ikom. Could you
believe that my step son Mgboki (the dsp) and my brother in law Daniel Ewor Abang
jointly accused me of using witchcraft to kill Owan , they even went ahead to say
that I was behind the death of my step daughter who died two years ago in motor
accident, all in the bid of finding a way to deprive me of my only means of lively
hood my husband left for me.
They went and reported to the chief and council of the village saying that I should
swear a fetish oath. Initially , I obliged so as to exonerate myself though it runs
contrary to my Christian faith and believes. A date was chosen and I came out to the
chief and council on the said date but surprisingly after better part of the day
neither my brother in law, step son nor the mother of the deceased appeared, the
deceased mother declined saying she is a night of the catholic church and will not
want to be evolved in anything fetish, that her son died of stroke as the hospital
said. My oppressors now side tract the deceased mother, went to the chief again
that I must swear. My step son(the police d.s.p) is well feared in our village
,especially when he brandishes his service pistol on his waist and talks with fierce
voice being highly temperamental, no body dare talks when he does, hence
intimidating every body.
They sent for me but I learnt they have planned for me to drink water used in
washing the dead body of Owan, my late son and chew the cut off finger and toe
nails.
This time around the money leased from the farm estate coupled with the force
man’s syndrome heavily influenced people’s judgment .
At this point I said no, I cannot swear or drink any thing again. I am the mother of
the catholic church and catholic women leader, I have severally opposed these
practices but now they found a good corner to pin me down. This particular day in
the village square was traumatic for me at my age of 73, I felt I could be lynched but
thank God, our parish priest Rev. Father Bassey Ojie, who came visiting the village
stopped on seeing the gathering to inquire what was the problem, having learnt
what it was, insisted that his convert will do no such thing. The police dsp then
threaten to bit the rev. Father up but for the intervention of the catholic faithful
around. The priest then sensing that my life was in danger now pushed me into his
car and drove off to Ikom town , the parish office. He advised that I should keep off
the village as my life is in danger.
Two weeks later, they sent a message saying in my own interest to come and swear
or they will take a decision on me. They now performed the ceremony of
banishment and a message was sent to me never to return to Bendeghe again that I
have been banished. People then started calling me confirming to me that I have
been banished.
I am now homeless, without source of livelihood.
All these keeps my blood pressure high , how do I get to buy my life support
medications without my farm (my only source of income) ? .
Under what influence was the chief of my village , Ntue Etta Tawo when he
adjudged my banishment .
Is it the truth that the force man’s syndrome caught virtually every member of the
council that the chief was advised wrongly to act unconstitutionally ?.
Where are the educated and enlighten men and women of bendeghe that 18th
century inhuman act carried on widow’s which has since been abolished by other
towns are still being practiced in this village ?.
Help me people of goodwill to get back home !.
Help me for humanity sake to get back my farm to enable the purchase of my daily
pressure piles ! .
Help me to ask the police (dsp) to stop tormenting me and my life !
Help me to ask my chief to restore my right to leave in the part of the world where I
was born !.
People help me !!!.