The former Secretary to Enugu State Government during the administration of former governor, Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi and current Dean, Faculty of Law, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Simon Uchenna Ortuanya and his estranged wife, Edith Nkechi Ortuanya are currently enmeshed in a divorce proceeding at the Enugu High Court presided over by Hon. Justice C. A.Ogbuabor Ph.D.
The marriage which was contracted on 14th March, 1998 at the Christ the King Catholic Church, GRA, Enugu hit the rock since 29th August, 2015 when Professor Ortuanya forcefully locked out his wife after visiting a grocery store with her daughter to procure some items for the house. Since then all efforts to allow the wife access to their matrimonial home and be mother to the 5 children of the marriage, failed and she has since been living in another home,
In a Consent to Dissolve Marriage dated 24th January, 2024 which was not countersigned by Edith and filed by counsel to the petitioner, Chief P.M.B. Onyia Esq, it stated among other things that “whereas the parties have not lived together for the past 8 years; and Whereas the parties have no intention of remaining as husband and wife; that the parties had agreed to the dissolution of the marriage between them and that both parties were at liberty to have access to the children of the wedlock”
In an Answer and Cross Petition (Suit No: E/95D/2024) filed by counsel to Edith Ortuanya, Okwudili O. Agbo Esq the Respondent in a 33-paragraph document detailed how she was, without provocation eased out of her matrimonial home. She averred that since after their wedding, the “petitioner has forcefully retained exclusive possession of the marriage certificate’ also “seized and has forcefully detained the Respondent’s National Youth Service Discharge certificate and International passport and has refused to release the said documents to the Respondent till date”.
Edith Ortuanya, a trained lawyer, while denying all the averments contained in the professor’s petition told the court how her husband, whom drumnewsonline gathered is eyeing the vice Chancellorship seat of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, locked her out till midnight on the 29th August 2015. He physically assaulted his son, Dr Obumneme Ortuanya, who tried to break open the keys to the gate to give her and the crying little baby she was carrying, access to the house.
The following day according to her, the ordeal continued. “It was after several hours when the heat from the sun became too intense for the Respondent andvthe little ..started crying uncontrollably that the Respondent had to leave the gate with the baby, and went to the nearest Police station to notify the police before eventually returning to her brother’s house”, the cross petitioner explained.
Mrs Ortuanya disclosed that she did not leave the matrimonial home with a single clothing that rather it was her sister in-law “who, seeing the miserable situation the Respondent was plunged into without any notice, had to quickly rush to the market and bought a couple of under wears and an extra piece of cloth for the Respondent to manage herself with the hope, then, that the Petitioner would allow her to come back to the house; which he never did till date”.
The Respondent further informed the court that the Petitioner ‘has recently married another woman with whom he now lives in the parties’ matrimonial home and who does not show the least love or affection to the Respondent’s children”.
Mrs Ortuanya is seeking the orders of the court “to grant her full custody of the last two children of the marriage who are still minors and tender, until they attain majority.
“An order for the Petitioner to pay to the Respondent maintenance for the last two children of the marriage at the rate of N300,000 (Three Hundred Thousand Naira) only per month for each of them;
“An Order for the Petitioner to pay the Respondent the sum of N500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand Naira) only per month as maintenance; and
An Order for the Respondent to be given a fair share of the landed properties acquired during the subsistence of the marriage between the parties”.
The court adjourned the matter to the 16th of June, 2025 for further mention.
Source: Drumnewsonline
