Man Loses 2 Kids Over Inability To Pay Bride Price

MICHAEL AKINOLA

A battle for supremacy is going on in Lagos between two estranged lovers, Hyginus and Favour, who met and started living together as husband and wife and had two kids without Favour’s bride price being paid.

P.M.EXPRESS reports that Hyginus and Favour resided at Ola Farm area of Abaranje, Ikotun, Lagos, with their two children for over six years before Favour informed him that the children belonged to her family because he had not paid her bride price.

In order to secure the children, Hyginus, who hails from Imo State, agreed to pay Favour’s bride price and they travelled to her town in Enugu State to consummate the marriage.

However, when they got to Favour’s family for the marriage, Hyginus was asked to pay N600,000 as bride price, which he must pay before the family will consent to the marriage.

It was gathered that Hyginus offered to pay N400,000 cash, which they collected and still called off the marriage until he is able to bring the balance of N200,000.

In anger, Hyginus dumped both Favour and the children, told them that he was no longer interested in the marriage and came back to Lagos out of frustration.

Few weeks later, Hyginus saw Favour and their two children living in another man’s house as wife and father of the children in the same Abaranje in Ikotun area.

He then went to Ikotun Police Division and reported that Favour took his children to another man and he wanted to have his children in order to train them properly.

P.M.EXPRESS gathered that Favour was invited by the Police and was asked to bring the two children to the Station. She went with members of her family living in Lagos and presented her own side of the story.

Favour told the Police that Hyginus cannot claim the ownership of the children because he did not pay her bride price and in Igbo tradition and culture, the children belong to her family.

The Police were in dilemma over what to decide on the matter because in Igbo tradition, Hyginus had no claim over the children because he did not pay the bride price to claim Favour as his wife and the children as his own.

The matter has now been referred to the Obi Ndigbo in Abaranje, Ikotun led by Chief Olikagu in order to broker peace between the two families. And if it fails, Hyginus may have lost the kids over his inability to pay the bride price.