A woman in Abia community accuses her in-laws of kidnapping her children, causing a family crisis.
An apparent case of kidnapping a child is being investigated by the Abia State Ministry of Women’s Affairs and Poverty Alleviation. After her husband’s death, Mrs. Blessing Emelogu, a widow, claims her in-laws forcibly removed her two children, Chizaram (11), and Chidera (9).
A viral video purportedly showed Mrs. Emelogu in distress, accusing her in-laws from the Amachara community (Umuahia South LGA) of kidnapping the children, according to the Ministry’s Commissioner, Mrs. Ngozi Blessing Felix.
Nonetheless, the Emelogu family refutes the charge. After her husband passed away, Mrs. Emelogu moved to Abuja, according to Mr. Enyinnaya Emelogu and other family members, leaving the children in Umuahian Abia State. They claim she only infrequently visited and voiced anxiety about residing in the home the family had supplied.
A meeting was arranged by the Ministry at the residence of Eze Akpunku Iheuwa, the traditional ruler of the Amachara village. The Emelogu family said at the meeting that they offered lodging and financial support following the funeral. They assert that Mrs. Emelogu fled without giving a reason after agreeing to relocate closer to Umuahia.
A family representative named Mr. Christian Emelogu expressed his dissatisfaction.
“After her husband’s burial, we the family during a meeting advised her to relocate closer home to Umuahia so that she and the children will be around her husband’s family,” Mr. Christian Emelogu recounted the incident during the meeting.
She consented and requested permission to go to Lekwesi, her birthplace in Umunneochi LGA, to tell her brothers of our instructions.
He remarked, “It baffles me how she turned back to tell the world that we took the kids by force and did not appreciate the good care given to her and the kids.”
The Ministry is looking into this matter in great detail. It has been decided that Mrs. Emelogu will take back custody in August 2024, provided she signs a pledge to provide them with a proper upbringing.
