Following various assault, persecution, murder threats and desire to allegedly terminate her life at all cost by her husband’s ( Mayowa J. Ogbiko’s) family and kindred, based on cultural/ traditional practices, Mrs. Beatrice Ogbiko, (Nee Ezomo) is seeking for political asylum in the United States of America.
Mrs. Ogbiko who is currently based in the US since 2016, however, narrates her ordeal for over a year before her relocation.
She said,”l witnessed series of attacks to my life, living in danger, fear, torture, hiding, kidnap, murder threats and fear of possibly been killed for my refusal to have me circumcised by my husband’s family and village people immediately I got pregnant. My life for that 1 year was indeed miserable.
“I have left my business, my promising career and my caring husband to run to United States in order to save my life.
She complained about several incidences of being beaten severely by her brother in-laws, as she purportedly revealed how she was kidnapped several times to make an oath in their community shrine.
In her words, “I received several threat calls both from my husband’s village chiefs and my husband’s family.
“Strange ailments which could not be diagnosed and things started happening to me after visiting the community shrine.
“We practically woke up to all kinds of charms in the house and on our gate on a weekly basis. My in-laws went as far as trying to get another wife for my husband because I refused to be subjected to their barbaric culture and tradition of female genital mutilation.
“This development had given me psychological and emotional trauma to the extent that I already developed high blood pressure (HBP). These events led me to have a miscarriage when I was four months pregnant. My in-laws accused me of deliberately losing the pregnancy. I got really heartbroken and I am still recovering because every time I remember the baby I lost, I get heartbroken all over again.
“In view of all these and the fact that I might be killed if I return to Nigeria, I sincerely plead for your compassionate consideration of my asylum request.
Born on September 15, 1981 in Agenebode Etsako East Local Government Area of Edo state Nigeria into the family of Chief and Mrs. David and Pauline Ezomoh and 2nd to six children, she started Primary school in Oshodi, Lagos State Nigeria in 1987, then, roceeded to Oshodi High School, 1994, where rounding up in 2000 with Senior Secondary SchoolCertificate.
In 2001, I went to Daily Fashion Institute where I studied Fashion Designing and how to make Nigerian native attires.
I got married to Mayowa J Ogbiko on June 15, 2015, whom I had dated for 4 years as at that time.
Her husband, Mayowa J Ogbiko was born July 6, 1977 into the family of Ogbiko. He is the second of four children of Chief Ogbiko, an engineer who also happens to be the custodian of the traditional custom of his community, being the first son of his family as their customs and traditions demand, was in her narration, an Islamic cleric, which he combined it with traditional title of the custodian of ancient believes and practice.
John began his elementary school at Egelesor Community Primary School in his village, Egelesor, Auchi, Edo State, Nigeria, in 1983, proceeded to Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State and graduated in 1999 with a Higher National Diploma in Banking and Finance.
In 2002, he joined BoI Microfinance Bank as a clerk and also enrolled into the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria and later qualified as a professional banker.
She continued, “My first offence to my in-laws is that I came from a Christian home and through me my husband got converted from chronic Islamic background to Christianity.
“In view of this, my husband’s family did a lot to prevent us from getting married to no avail as we went ahead to get married in a courthouse.
“My husband’s parents did not come to our wedding in Lagos because they were seriously against my marriage to their son and also the fact that we ignored their traditional shrine marriage and chose to marry in a courthouse.
“They also felt so threatened that I would not allow them to have access to their son anymore as they seemed sure that I would not allow my husband go to the shrine anymore.
According to her, the display continued in open confrontation by her ather inlaws, who would visit them in Lagos and refuse to leave against her husband’s will.
She further narrated, “I had no idea that my father in-law planted my mother in-law and his brothers to help actualise the plan of getting me to the village shrine for the circumcision because my mother in-law had discovered that I was pregnant.
“The evil plan was revealed when my husband overheard his siblings discussing how that they were not making good progress at getting me to go to the village with them. He forced them out of our home the following morning.
“When I was about twelve weeks pregnant, my husband’s youngest brother died and we were all invited to their village by my father in-law for the burial. Unknown to my husband and I, they had set a trap for me to be circumcised as soon as we get to the village.
“On getting to the village for the burial, my father in-law invited us to their traditional shrine and asked us to take some drink, my husband refused us taking this drink on sighting the female traditionalist on ground at the shrine, indicating they wanted to perform circumcision (female genital mutilation) and he immediately took me out of the shrine to his uncle’s house (he is the pastor of the local church in the village) to hide me there. At the crack of dawn, the following morning, my husband took me and we traveled back to our home in Lagos.
“On getting back to Lagos, my husband relocated us to another apartment and refused to give anyone our new address.
“On our relocation to a new place unknown to my husband’s family, we had our peace from their troubles for about a month until somehow my mother in-law got our house address, and she came with my brother in-law to fight with me, they threw my belongings out of the house. My brother in-law started beating me until our neighbors called the police officers from Okoko police station in Lagos who came to my rescue.
“Although, they were arrested and taken to police custody on that day but they were released on bail. Only for them to come back two weeks after.
“However, on seeing them at the door, I started screaming very loudly and my neighbors quickly came to my rescue.
“From that time henceforth, I started receiving strange threat calls, we see strange charms on our door steps. I started falling ill and could not get any particular diagnosis.
Mrs. Ogbiko has since being crying out loud over the physical and physchological torture from her in-laws, adding that, “I have suffered too much in the hands of my husband’s family because of our traditional beliefs and religious differences.
“I lost my pregnancy because of all the troubles and the fear of death as a result of infection contacted from the crude, local surgical blade used for the mutilation and even from spiritual, ritual incantation express into this process.
“All these necessitated my attempt to leave Nigeria to seek refuge in the United States of America. More so, that the security situation in Nigeria is absolutely in a bad state. Our police and law enforcement agencies cannot guarantee safety of lives and properties.
Nigeria has become a country where criminals reign and crime such as kidnapping, murder, armed robbery and gangsters have become the order of the day.
She called on the public to be alert over her predicament, since next line of attack from her inlaws could be more grievous.
