By Correspondent in Abuja.
A contractor, Prince Uzo Nwosu(36), on Monday told a Customary Court in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) why he had sexual relations with his family’s housemaid.
Nwosu, who spoke before a three-member panel, led by Mrs. Hadiza Attahz at the Customary Court in Takushara, Abuja, said the brief relationship with the maid was consensual, saying that it happened after being allegedly sexually deprived by his wife, Mrs. Rebecca Erebi Nwosu.
He made the claim while responding to his wife’s application urging the court to dismiss his divorce suit.
According to Nwosu, his wife only agreed to intimacy when she wanted to conceive.
“After the birth of our second child, she stopped being intimate with me and eventually moved out of our matrimonial home,” he said.
He further testified that his wife had sacked 18 housemaids in four years, often accusing them of having affairs with him “without evidence and without providing alternative support.”
Nwosu also alleged that Rebecca left their children with security guards whenever she went out at night.
When confronted with accusations of rape, he insisted the encounter with the maid was consensual and emphasized he even had plans to marry her.
“My lord, I was sexually deprived for about four months. I planned to marry Mercy (the maid) because of the way she cared for my children,” he added.
He also said he is a prince from Ohuhu, Umuahia North in Abia State adding that, by tradition, he is entitled to have multiple wives.
The petitioner denied claims that his son had autism, saying the child only had delayed speech development.
“My son is three years old and already speaking. I spoke at age four myself. What he needs is proper attention,” he said.
Nwosu prayed the court to dissolve his marriage, grant custody of the children to his parents, and allow his wife visitation rights.
Mrs. Rebecca Nwosu, in her response, denied being married under Igbo custom and countered that their April 2021 marriage was conducted according to Ijaw tradition in Bayelsa State.
She alleged Nwosu raped their housemaid in July 2024, bringing “shame and disgrace” to her and their marriage.
“He confessed to raping the maid. That act shattered our marriage,” she claimed.
Rebecca also accused her husband of being a “chain-smoker” who smokes around the children, and alleged that their son is diagnosed with autism,a claim the husband denies.
She also said the petitioner stopped her from working after marriage, leaving her financially dependent while he engaged in infidelity.
Rebecca asked the court to dissolve the marriage, grant her full custody of the children, and compel the petitioner to fulfill his parental responsibilities, including school fees and health insurance.
Her lawyer, Mike Enahoro-Ebah, has also challenged the court’s jurisdiction, arguing that neither party resides within the Takushara area.
The court has fixed November 20 for ruling on the motion to dismiss the suit on jurisdictional grounds.
Edited by Dada Ahmed.
