In what could be termed as public embarrassment, a politician in Benue State, Ewaoche Benjamin Obe, has been evicted from his residence in Abuja following allegations that his wife used their home as collateral for a loan without his consent.
Naijaonpoint reports that Obe shared the development in a live video via his Facebook account.
Obe is said to be the governorship candidate for the African Action Congress (AAC) in the 2023 general elections.
Daily Post quoted sources in the know to have disclosed that the residence, situated in Sagwari Layout, Dutse, Bwari Area Council, Federal Capital Territory, FCT, was constructed by Obe himself.
Reports showed that Obe and his wife, Christiana Obe, have been married since 2006.
The couple hails from the Ogbadibo Local Government Area, Benue State.
While en route to Benue State, Obe received a call regarding an invasion of his home in Abuja by security personnel, who were evicting him from his property.
In response, Obe quickly diverted his route back to Abuja.
Upon his return, he was presented with a legal document indicating that his property had been seized due to an unpaid loan taken by his wife.
However, Obe told reporters that he had not received any legal notice before the incident.
Witnesses, including military personnel and police officers, were present at the scene, where Obe’s property was found scattered across the street of Sagwari Layout.
Referring to his wife, Obe expressed his frustration, stating, “She has done her worst. This is a house I built with my hard-earned money.”
In a Facebook live session, Obe accused his wife of forcefully entering his home with the help of some officials, questioning the legality of seizing a property without prior notice.
When asked if he was informed about the loan taken by his wife, Obe replied that he was unaware of any loan and had not been contacted by the lender before the alleged loan.
He also mentioned that his wife had taken their son to a new apartment before the incident.
Furthermore, Obe denied receiving any legal documents before the eviction.
“I was never served. This was plotted by my wife and the officers that came. We have been having issues for a while and I think this is her best way of getting at me,” he said.
It was gathered that Christiana, an officer of the Nigerian Air Force, had prior to the eviction, moved some of her things out of the house, including air-conditioners.
She went away unquestioned, as Obe claimed he did not want to create a scene.
The court papers served during the eviction obtained by newsmen claimed that the claimant had lived in the said duplex as a tenant.
A family member who spoke anonymously said, “Ewaoche (Obe) has invested a lot in this woman, even the job she currently has came from him. He saw this woman through school and has invested in her life in so many other ways. How do you connive with external persons to bring down a man you have lived with for more than two decades? How?.
“From the look of things, it is clear this is a clear case of oppression. Assuming this happened to a woman, we will say is because “na woman. This is a direct opposite. How can wife take a loan without informing the husband? Why did the lender not call to get details from property owner? Who values a house without a man who owns it? Something is seriously missing in all these.
“We gathered that the court papers are all fake and the people commissioned to carry out the eviction were mobilized illegally. We want the Air Force and the police to investigate the officers in the video.”
Responding to a call by the media platform, Christiana simply said, “I am not under any obligation to speak to anyone.”