Man disappears over third set of twins

Man disappears over wife ’s third set of
twins
 July 3 , 2015
 Written by Miriam Ekene - Okoro , Staff
Reporter
Where is Citizen Emeka Benjamin Uche, a Lagos
factory worker ?
That was the big question yesterday as his wife,
Ruth , 34, from Abia State broke the news of his
disappearance since February.
Uche, 39, fled home when he learnt that his
expectant wife was carrying a set of twins – the
family ’ s third .
Mrs Uche was at the Lagos State Secretariat,
Alausa yesterday with her six children, pleading
for help.
Not many knew what she wanted as she stood
under a tree, close to the Press Centre , carrying
the babies . Her first two sets of twins, much
older , stood close to their mother, and did not in
any way seem intimidated by the sea of cameras
and faces focusing on them.
Mrs . Uche was receptive when our reporter
approached her to narrate her ordeal.
In 2009 when she first conceived , she was
delivered of two girls – Goodness and Godnews.
The second conception , two years later,
produced another two – a boy and a girl , named
John and Joyce.
But when her husband , Emeka , learnt that the
third pregnancy was another set of two he fled
their number 32, Awori Street , Agege home on
the outskirt of Lagos to an undisclosed location
in Ikorodu, Lagos.
The third set of twins arrived last month. They
were named Daniel and Daniella.
Mrs . Uche said she could no longer cope with
widening needs for food, clothes , drugs and
school fees .
Her meagre earnings as a teacher in a private
school in Lagos can no longer meet their needs.
Her story : “ I met my husband in 2002 but we got
married in 2008 . We met in the village at
Umuahia . I don’ t want to leave the children and
run away . This is why I want government to help
us , ” she said .
She recalled that she never wanted the third
pregnancy, but her use of traditional means of
family planning ( counting fertile and infertile
days ) failed her .
“ I was using traditional way of family planning
where I calculate some days before having
intercourse. It was working for me . You can see
my first set of twins is four years old .
“ You know as women , we cannot deny our
husband that thing whenever they request for it .
Whenever I mistakenly take in, he would say that
I was pretending. Sometimes , I would go through
long process to abort the pregnancy. After that,
another one would happen . I would still have to
go through the process again to abort it . When
this one happened he still insisted that I was
pretending until the pregnancy became obvious . ”
“ My Church was responsible for the payment of
the first delivery . The church paid N 120, 000 for
the delivery of the first set of twins. The two
deliveries of the twins have been through
Caesarean Section for which we paid N 120, 000
each . The last twins are through normal
delivery” .
Mrs . Uche explained that her husband , a factory
worker in Iju Road , Agege , has since refused to
pick her calls . She learnt that he stays in
Ikorodu.
“ Since I gave birth to the children, I have tried
calling my husband but he would not pick once
he knows that it is me . I contacted his mother
and other relatives to tell them that he has run
away . They promised that they will call back.
Since then, none of them has called me . It is not
easy for me at all .
“ I know only two of his relations . One of them
lives in Ikorodu ; the other one lives at Ajegunle .
My elder brother, who could have also helped, is
very angry with me for giving birth to another set
of twins. He warned me before not to have any
other child after the two sets of twins, especially
with the kind of husband I have.
“ I cannot put my hands in blood shedding by
committing abortion . I want Nigerians to help me
because there is nobody to pay their school
fees .
“ I went for immunisation some days ago and I
told them my condition and why they have not
been seeing me . It was there that they advised
that I should come to government. Government
should please help my children; no one to help
me with house rent, electricity bill , school fees ,
food and so on, ” Mrs . Uche said .