63-yr -old housewife raises the alarm over constant beating

By Bashir Adefaka

A 63-year-old housewife in Abaranje area of Ikotun, Lagos State, Mrs. Olatundun Oladele, has raised the alarm over the constant beating and battering she gets from her husband of 41 years.

The distraught woman who has five grown-up children for her husband, a retired staff of a popular glass manufacturing company, lamented that she was going through a serious psychological trauma as a result of the beatings from her husband, Oridota Oladele,67.

In an emotion-laden voice, interspersed with sobs, the firewood seller said the battering has been going on for over fifteen years that they have been living together as a family and efforts made by family members and other relations to call her husband to order have failed woefully.

Mrs. Olatundun Oladele, the battered housewife

Pitiful sight at home
When Crime Guard visited the family’s 24, Bola Bolarinwa Street home, off Ajala Bus Stop on Abaranje Road area of Ikotun, Lagos State, the apparently industrious but visibly unsupported woman evoked pity and anger. Her condition was pitiful because she found herself in a situation she was not willing to make public.

Worse still, it was unthinkable that a man would batter his wife of 41 years and mother of five grown-up children to a pulp.
Her cheeks were swollen as if she had eggs hidden in her mouth, thereby deforming the shape of a supposedly pretty woman. Her eye balls were thickly blood stained as a result of the battering she received recently from the husband. In fact, it was gathered that she was nearly blinded after the ordeal.
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Husband states his anger
Shockingly, the husband narrated to Crime Guard why he subjected her to such merciless battering. “She can’t fetch water in the house, neither can she sweep the surroundings. Apart from her not being able to do housework, her firewood trade is disturbing. Even up till now, she has not stopped. When her customers come, the way they announce that they want to buy things. This is a disturbance to me.”

Asked if their marriage of 41 years was not blessed with any child who could relieve her of such minor household chores, Mr. Oladele foot-dragged as he reluctantly confirmed that both had five children — males and females but he however, failed to explain why they could not offer any assistance.
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Wife narrates experience
However, the wife stated: “None of our children now live with us because they couldn’t withstand the lifestyle of their father; the way he batters their mother almost on regular basis. One of them publicly expressed regret that he has not grown to take me out of my matrimonial home. The only thing I can say is for anybody who wants to help me to kindly appeal to him to please stop beating me. At my age, I have no strength for all the battering. And my fear is also that, for a man who has refused to be checked by anybody, not even my family nor his own family can stop him. After their intervention, he still went ahead to do this to me. It is only the two of us now living together, he can possibly do the worst.

“It is not that our neighbours are happy about it but they are only waiting for him to commit a crime from battering me so that they would now be able to invite the Police. My own relations too have intervened on many occasions. They warned him and even threatened to take action should anything happen to me but all to no avail. This recent bating, he even said I should go and report him to anybody and that he cared not about anybody.

“I am the breadwinner of the family. It was because of this that my cousin, Engr. Ademuyiwa, bought the black container you are seeing over there for me so that I would be staying there for my customers to come and meet me. I don’t understand what he means by saying that I have not stopped. Since his job stopped with Alumaco fifteen years ago, he has not done anything and so he has not been giving us anything to feed or take care of ourselves. This is the trade that I do. I started by selling groundnut and because of that, I started selling firewood also to make it easier for me. I go to farm centres to buy Garri, Yam and other things, which I bring to town here and sell to people.

“This is what I have done and from that, I have been able to feed the family including himself and support the education of our children. One of his brothers helped us pay for school fees of one of the five children in a higher institution. The children and I were responsible for how their education was financed because they had to work to support themselves. I am appealing to public-spirited Nigerians to help me appeal to him to stop beating me. I have no strength to receive the battering any more,” she pleaded.

Cousin laments
When contacted, a cousin to the woman, Engr. Peter Femi Ademuyiwa, expressed dismay that she was being treated like a slave. His words: “Her mother was my mother ‘s sister. She took good care of me but now she is no longer alive. How can one explain that while I am still alive, such a cousin of mine, very peace-loving woman, should be battered to the point of near-death simply because she is married to a husband who cares not about her peace? It has always happened like this and we have visited and appealed to him not to touch her again and that it was unspeakable to hear that a man of 67 still beats his 63-year-old wife to pulp after 41 years of marriage.

“I even told him that the Lagos State Government frowns at such practice of woman battering. On behalf of myself and our family, I appealed to him only for this to happen again and just go and see how deformed she has become. I just hope she would recover fast,” Ademuyiwa said.

Neighbours remain evasive
When Crime Guard visited the residence, none of the neighbours was willing to speak on the issue. An elderly neighbour who pleaded for anonymity however said the issue is very pathetic and needs to be blown open so that the relevant government agencies can wade into the matter without delay before the man kills the wife.